Chapter 19 – The Greatest Achievement
Weyland-Yutani Research Base

Dr Leland returned to the laboratory after reviewing the message from Weyland-Yutani headquarters. They wanted a progress report on the cloning project. He gave them some results, but he purposely left out the details of his current project. If things didn't go well, then there would be no one to ridicule him. He would wait until he knew everything was going according to his vision. Then he would send another message back to headquarters, this one providing all the details of his experiment and that he was the sole person responsible for it. No one else would get any credit.

Everything was as he had left it. A quick glance revealed that Quinn was no longer in the chamber. Leland didn't care. He didn't need anyone else's help in this. When he walked back to the computer terminal where he had been working, he began typing the final sequence of data, pausing after a minute. He dug into the pocket of his lab coat for a piece of paper he unfolded several times. On it was a scribbled drawing. Leland placed the paper next to the keyboard and began typing again.

Some time went by before he stepped toward the cryochamber containing the Elf. He crouched and punched a series of buttons on a keypad. When he stood up, he waited until the transparent lid frosted over completely. Then he walked back to the computer terminal and continued typing.

What he had failed to notice was that Dr Jordan Messer was no longer in the observation chamber Train had tossed her in.

Freak popped open a panel near the door. He went in one of his pockets and produced a device with several wires hanging from it. While he clamped those wires to the wires in the panel, Aragorn watched over Freak's shoulder.

"What is that you are doing?" asked Aragorn.

"Running a bypass to get this door open," replied Freak. When the wiring task was complete, Freak pressed a button on the device. The red LED light should have turned to green. Nothing happened. Just as he was about to try something else, the light changed and the door creaked, finally sliding open. He drew his blaster and cautiously passed through the doorway.

There were no windows in the compound, so there was no light filtering through. Freak switched on a beam and panned it around. Resting in the center of the warehouse-like structure was an APC. He had been right about it. The APC was definitely a first class newer model. He had visions of stealing it. No one here would be needing it anyway when he got through with this base.

Aragorn and Gimli remained with Freak, as he had the only source of light in the darkened compound. They continued to search for a way into the sublevels and finally found a heavily armored panel on the floor, cleverly hidden behind some crates. Freak ran another bypass and the panel cycled open, parting at the center. Just before he was about to drop into the opening, he heard someone coming. The three of them quickly hid behind several other crates.

Freak waited until he heard footsteps on the compound floor before he jumped out from behind his hiding place. "Freeze!" He raised the beam of light into the face of the first person.

Jordan ducked from the bright light in her eyes. "Hey!"

"Jordi?"

Jordan raised her head, immediately recognizing the nickname only one man ever used. "Dane?"

"What the hell're you doing here?" asked Freak.

"I might ask you the same question," she replied in anger.

Train jogged down the corridor and met up with Riggs and Vaughn.

"The twins are gone," said Riggs, his arm and half his face still covered in bandages, due to the injuries inflicted to him by the Elf.

Train was furious. "Whatta you mean they're gone?"

"We checked the mess hall," said Vaughn. "Nothing."

Train pointed to Riggs. "Find me those brats right now." As Riggs rushed off, Train turned to Vaughn. "Time for you and Darwin to start cleaning house. Am I clear on this?"

Vaughn gave Train a nod as he unholstered his blaster and checked the emission charge on it. Then he moved his com device up to his lips. "Darwin, meet me on sub-level 2." With a final glance at Train, Vaughn headed for the metal stairway beside the elevator.

Train went into the elevator, hitting the button for the lowest level. Things were getting out of hand. He needed to start getting rid of the problems. The twin clones were no longer of any use, so he needed to get rid of them. Then when Leland was done screwing around in the lab, Dr Jordan Messer and Phillip Quinn would be the next to go. Train needed to make sure Leland wasn't suspicious of the missing staff because the nutty professor needed to finish his experiment and run some tests. After that then Leland would be history and everything on his computer terminal would be confiscated by Weyland-Yutani. Train just wasn't sure what Leland was currently doing so he needed to wait a little longer and discover what it was before Leland could be eliminated.

Freak, Aragorn, Gimli, Jordan, Quinn and young Elladan and Elrohir sat in a circle behind crates, the only light illuminating them coming from the beam in Freak's hand. It had taken Jordan a total of three minutes to quickly summarize to the others everything that had happened until the moment she and Quinn were making their escape with the twins.

Aragorn was in a state of complete denial when he was told that the Elflings before him were Elladan and Elrohir, his foster brothers. He would have continued disbelieving it had they not called him Estel, the Elven name he had been given as a child when his mother brought him to stay with Lord Elrond in Rivendell. The twins had called him nothing else all of his life. They even brought up memories about him that only Elladan and Elrohir would have known. But there was no time for emotions. According to the woman named Jordan, Legolas was in serious trouble and he needed their help.

"How many in security?" Freak asked Jordan.

"Six, including the team leader. His name's Train."

Freak groaned at the mention of the name. He knew Train and what the man was capable of. "Who else?"

"Besides Quinn and I, there's Dr Leland and six other technicians. The only other one you might have to watch out for is Leland. I don't think he's playing with a full deck right now, if you know what I mean."

"I'll take that into consideration." Freak glanced at Aragorn and Gimli. "I need someone to get these people safely to Ilmarin."

Gimli turned to Aragorn. "I will take them. You go with Freak and rescue Legolas."

Aragorn placed a hand on Gimli's shoulder, silently thanking the Dwarf for volunteering.

Jordan recognized the name the young Elves had mentioned to her earlier. "You all know the Elf down there?" she asked.

Aragorn turned to her. "He is a close friend." He did not like the troubled expression on her face. "What have they done to him?"

"Physically and mentally, your friend will never be the same again," she replied sympathetically.

Before anyone could truly digest what she meant, Freak stood up and touched Gimli's arm, wordlessly motioning toward the door.

"Tis time for us to go," Gimli said quietly, unable to stop thinking of what could have befallen his Elf friend and what he could possibly tell Ariedel in Ilmarin when he arrived with the others.

Jordan stood up and walked up to Freak. "I'm sorry, Dane."

"For what?"

"For all of this, for all the reasons I left Avalon, for leaving you…for everything."

For the first time in his life, Freak had no words to describe what he was feeling. Jordan Messer was the only woman he had ever loved. She chose a lucrative job with Weyland-Yutani, telling him that she didn't want to live in space, in a cold ship while they went from job to job. He hadn't blamed her then…not for that. But he hated The Company and if she had worked for anyone else, it would have been fine. "I'll see you back at the fort." He watched as she left the compound with Gimli, Quinn and the two Elf youngsters. Then he turned to Aragorn. "Come on. We've got business to take care of."

Train stared at the camber where he had tossed Jordan into. It was empty. Then he turned to Leland, who was oblivious to everything except his experiment. "You didn't notice she was gone?" The other man didn't show any sign that he had even heard Train ask a question. Train walked out of the lab in disgust. Things were already in motion and time was running out.

Leland typed the last string of data and released a heavy sigh. "Well now. Let's see what we have, shall we?" He first walked to the cryochamber containing the alien. The creature was dead, as Leland expected. Then he stepped over to the other cryochamber and wiped a hand over the frosted transparent lid. The Elf inside was unconscious, but according to the display on the panel below, all of his stats were at normal levels. Although he was a bit unsure as to what an Elf's normal levels would be, Leland just gauged them against what a human's normal levels were. He also initially fed a code into the computer that would render the Elf docile in his presence. He needed that small measure of control, in case the Elf had plans of his own.

After activating the release mechanism of the cryochamber, a hiss followed before the lid slowly lifted. There was a thin layer of frost on the Elf's skin that began to thaw the moment warmer air entered the open cryochamber.

Leland verified the two visible traits he had programmed. The more obvious trait were the fingernails. Once they had been the color of flesh and now they were the color of cold steel…cold titanium, to be exact and a hundred times stronger than normal fingernails.

To verify the second trait, Leland carefully raised a corner of the Elf's upper lip, revealing an elongated, nearly transparent tooth. At first he had thought to give the Elf a full set of alien choppers, but then he realized how ridiculously hideous that would look, so he opted for altering just the canines, upper and lower.

For the next check, he picked up a small scalpel and placed a small incision on the Elf's bare chest, just below his collarbone. A tiny stream of red blood oozed onto the tip of the scalpel. The metal quickly began dissolving.

Leland smiled and looked down at the Elf. "Perfect. You will be my greatest achievement. The one thing no one else has ever dared to accomplish. I, Oscar Leland, have done that and even made a few improvements." His smile faded and he took on a look of mock sincerity. "But I hope you understand why I did it. The human race needs a bit of a boost and you are the proof that it can be done. Granted, you're an Elf and not a human being, but I think you're close enough. So…no hard feelings, right?"

Leland stepped away momentarily to place the melting scalpel into a glass of water to stop it from dissolving any further. When he turned back, he came face to face with the Elf, who had silently jumped out of the cryochamber. Before Leland had a chance to utter a single sound, the Elf wrapped his hands around Leland's throat and squeezed. The last thing Leland would see was the wild, wide-eyed glare of pale blue eyes before he heard the sound of his own neck snapping.

(Legolas's POV)

The man named Oscar Leland slumped lifeless and I released his neck, watching him crumple to the floor. Not giving the dead man another thought, I instinctly glanced to the corners of the chamber where I knew the surveillance devices would be, oddly determining that I needed to destroy them. I also spotted clothing, neatly folded on a chair, along with a quiver of arrows and a bow. These articles looked familiar to me, yet I did not recognize them as mine.

But what was mine? What did I own?

I walked to the chair and dressed in the clothing, wondering how I knew they would fit me. Then I picked up the bow and notched an arrow into it before turning to one of the cameras mounted in a corner. I released the arrow and the camera shattered. After notching another arrow, I destroyed the second camera mounted on the opposite corner.

The weapon was familiar to me. If it was not mine, then I would make it so. I strapped the quiver to my chest and drew the twin knives from their sheaths. These also seemed familiar to me.

Sounds coming from the other side of the chamber drew my attention. I walked over and discovered three strange creatures on the other side of a clear partition. They spoke to me, demanding that I release them. With a quick glance, I found the mechanism to open the door, only briefly wondering how I knew it. As the door hissed and slid open, I slowly backed away, lowering the knives to my sides.

The three creatures cautiously stepped through the doorway, one at a time. They hissed at me, first thanking me for their release and then telling me they would have to kill me now.

When the first bounded toward me, I crossed the blades of the knives. The creature approached and I held it back with the knives. As it reached out to tear at me with its claws, I pulled at the knives and slashed at its throat. It screeched loudly and tossed its head from side to side as its blood sprayed out in every direction. Some of it struck my face and I wiped at it with my hand. Then I noticed the nearby table smoking and dissolving where the blood had landed. But it did nothing to my face or my hand. It fascinated me.

The other two creatures attacked at the same time. I took a step forward and slashed both knives as they approached. They screeched and tried to move away. One fell in a heap as I sliced at its hands first and then its arms. The other tried to sink its jaws into my shoulder. But before it got the chance, I brought my hand to the side of its large head and slammed it into the wall beside me. The creature's skull caved in and I stepped away before any of its blood could get on my clothing.

With nothing left to do in the laboratory, I headed for the door. Once I stepped out into the corridor, I concentrated on feeling the vibrations all around me. I quickly learned that I could control how I felt and heard them. And when I accomplished it, I was able to determine exactly where the movement came from. The levels above…Time to go hunting…

Ilmarin

Alfirin stood together with Thranduil on the balcony outside of their chamber. The evil that brought Thranduil and Legolas to Valinor was now attempting to destroy their son. Thranduil tried to console her as she spoke of time lost, time that she would never see again. Nearly three thousand years had gone by and never once in all those days did she not think about her loved ones in Middle-Earth. She had often wondered if Thranduil had found another companion and what her son Legolas was like as a grown Elf.

"What was he like growing up?" asked Alfirin, wiping at her tears.

"He was very quiet, very reserved. But whenever he lost his temper, he was an uncontrollable force to recon with. So much like you." Thranduil held her tightly in his arms.

"He grew into a fine warrior."

"A warrior that was a vital part in the destruction of Sauron. I have never told him, but I am proud of everything he has accomplished in his life. When he returns…" Thranduil explicitly refused to believe that Legolas would not be returning, so there were no ifs. "…I will make a great effort to express my thoughts to him."

"What will they do to him?" Alfirin finally asked in a whisper.

"I do not know the answer to that, Alfirin. But I am confident that our friends will find him before anything happens." Thranduil heard the door inside open and he released Alfirin. He turned in time to see Anwar running into his arms. "Anwar!" Then he looked questioningly up at Ariedel as she stepped out onto the balcony. "How is it that she is here?"

Ariedel folded her arms over her chest. "Apparently she and the prince of Gondor snuck onboard the Dropship and then wandered off while we were out hunting the aliens. Ripley and I found them in one of the villages not far from here." She moved closer to where Thranduil hugged his granddaughter and she placed her hand on Anwar's head. Her anger quickly faded before she spoke again. "If we had gotten there an hour later, it would have been too late."

Thranduil did not need Ariedel to explain what she meant by that statement. He immediately understood that the aliens had threatened the children. He gently pried Anwar's arms from around him. "Anwar, look. Tis your grandmother, Alfirin."

Ariedel shook her head with a smile as Anwar threw herself into the arms of Alfirin. The child didn't even know her grandmother, but with her emotions running high after her near-death experience with the pursuing alien, Anwar was ready to hug just about anybody. "Have you heard from Legolas?" asked Ariedel. "Is he having any luck exterminating the aliens?" She looked from Thranduil to Alfirin. The expressions on their faces worried her. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

Alfirin decided it was best that Thranduil speak to Ariedel alone, so she looked down at Anwar. "Come Anwar, let us go inside and you can tell me everything that happened."

Thranduil waited until his wife and granddaughter disappeared inside before he turned back to Ariedel. "Please sit, Ariedel," he said as he gestured to a stone bench.

"No, I don't want to sit down." She gave Thranduil a stern look. "Did something happen to my husband?"

I'd say Ariedel is in for a bit of a shock, don't you think? Come on, I know you've got something to say about all this so far. Let me hear from you.