A/N Chapter 6 of Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl's Spectrum: The Harpist's Tale precedes this one. Plus I'd like to give special thanks to Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl, who gave me an extra amount of help with this chapter, which was very stubborn and didn't want to be written!
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Several minutes had passed since Dr North had vanished from the room. I frantically twisted my wrists against the restraints, but accomplished nothing but chafing my skin. My breathing was as quick and frantic as my movements. I would not be Morgoth's prize again. I would not be used for his evil purposes. If I could not escape, then I would destroy myself. The thought burned in my mind, and I knew that I would not hesitate to do just that.
The door that Dr North has exited opened again. My heart hammered, thinking that Morgoth had returned. A lone man entered, wearing the white garb that the others had been wearing earlier. He carried a bundle with him. He ran at me. I flinched, until he began working at the restraints to free me. My heart leapt to my throat and I looked up at his masked face to see grey eyes.
"Maglor!" I cried in relief as he freed my hand. "Mor- the enemy! The enemy is coming!"
"I know. I heard. We must be swift and silent, Ninniach ," he warned. "We have to get out. There will be time for talk later."
I nodded and as he started on the restraints pinning my legs, I worked at the straps over my chest and other arm. Soon freed, he helped me to my feet.
"Put this on, quickly," Maglor said, thrusting the bundle at me, and I saw that it was a uniform like the one he wore. "I don't know how much time we have."
I hurriedly pulled the garb on. It was heavier then I had expected, and I felt clumsy within it, but I prayed that it would conceal my identity. We left the room, Maglor leading, and quickly followed the corridors. My heart stopped as we turned a corner to see three Men in the corridor, wearing the same white uniforms as Maglor and I did, although theirs had several black burns on the fingers.
"The prisoner has escaped!" Maglor shouted before the Men could question us. "Quickly, find Dr Brightman and Dr North!"
The Men reacted instantly, one of them telling us to go with him while the others raced down the way we had come. I looked at Maglor. He didn't show any hesitation as he followed the lone Man.
"Security should have alerted us," the man said. "That man she was with must have followed us. Why North didn't blow his brains out, I don't-"
A surge of anger overtook me, and I had to rein it back. There was a slight acrid smell in my uniform, and I realised that I had burned it. The lights above us flickered. The man leading us looked up at the ceiling and he stopped, shuddering.
"Did you feel that?" he asked, fear tingeing his voice. "That's got to be that girl."
Maglor glanced back at me, his grey eyes concerned. I shook my head minutely. I knew that I needed to keep myself under control, or I would give us away... Unless-
I took a deep breath as the man started to walk again, and concentrated on the emotion burning in my chest. Could I? Feeling suddenly that the uniform was closing in on my and that I needed to be rid of it, I pulled the hood off my head. Maglor stepped forward, his eyes widening inside his mask.
"Are you-" the man we had been following turned, and his eyes widened to see me. His jaw dropped, and it seemed that he did not know what to do. Quickly, I stripped off the rest of the white garb.
"Ninniach-" Maglor started, but I did not wait for him to finish. Throwing back my head and spreading my arms wide, I let my light burst from me. It shone bright and hot, causing even Maglor to shield his eyes. The man fell back with a shout. The lights cut out suddenly, and the sounds of machines died. We were left in the corridor, the only light emanating from my skin.
"I did not know you could do that," Maglor said, his voice stunned.
"I did not either," I admitted.
Maglor removed his hood. "There is no point is disguise any longer, is there?" he asked with a wry smile, and I returned the smile. We both turned to the man lying on the floor, and Maglor bent over him and pressed his fingers to the man's neck. "Alive."
I breathed a small sigh of relief. No matter whom these men were, life was a sacred gift from the Valar and it was not my place to end it. Maglor took my hand and we ran quickly through the corridors. Soon we reached a large room, filled with vehicles. I saw the sunlight and ran towards it, but Maglor hesitated.
"Ninniach, can you melt their tires?" he asked, grabbing a sharp-edged tool from a nearby bench. "We won't be able to outrun them on foot."
I nodded, and quickly we set to work, he stabbing the tires through, I laying my hand against them. The light that still shone from me made quick work of the rubber. When every vehicle was maimed, Maglor grabbed my hand again and we left the darkness of the building and were in the heat of the sun. She was brighter than I had ever seen her.
Thunderous cracks rang out behind us, and I heard whistling in my ear. Something shot through my hair, just above my ear. I stumbled. Maglor caught me.
"Don't shoot, you idiots, you could hit her! Get the cars!" I heard Dr Brightman shout behind us.
"Faster!" Maglor urged, and I did push myself faster. We ran, I not knowing where we were going or even if Maglor knew. We soon were on a road, which made the running easier, but I knew it would almost make it easier for them to find us.
A blue car suddenly rounded a corner. Maglor threw me to one side, diving after me, as the car released a squealing noise. It jerked to a stop. Maglor scrambled back to his feet, pulling me with him as the driver exited the car.
"Stay back, woman!" he bellowed, but I caught his arm.
"Julia!" It was the nurse from the hospital.
"Nin?" Julia's eyes widened. "Are you all-"
"There are men after us," I interrupted, dragging Maglor with me as I raced towards the blue car. "Please, we need to get out of here."
Julia stared at me for a moment, but nodded and slid back into her car. Maglor and I quickly got in as well, he in the back, me in the front. Julia glanced at me briefly before turning the car around and driving quickly away.
"Nin, you're glowing."
"We must get to the museum," Maglor said. He frowned at Julia, and I reached back to squeeze his arm reassuringly.
"She can be trusted."
Maglor nodded distractedly, and then repeated his request to go to the museum.
"If I ask, will you tell me what this is all about?" Julia asked, her voice tense, her eyes wide. "Brightman said that you were part of a terrorist plot, but why would they target Hapisburgh? And- I don't know why, but I know that you're a good person."
"We have to get away," I said.
I glanced behind us. I saw no signs of pursuit and relaxed ever so slightly in my seat. We had gotten out! We have escaped, and Morgoth couldn't touch me. The relief was so overwhelming that I began to shake. What would he have done to me? I was shaking so badly that at first I thought it was a natural thing that my vision started to darken.
Suddenly, it was as though I was back in the building and for a wild moment I was afraid that my escape had been mere fantasy. But no- I was aware of Maglor calling my name before he faded entirely.
I found myself in a room filled with machines. They were lifeless, but the lights had been turned back on. I heard a noise behind myself, and turned. A scream tore from my lips. A dozen bodies scattered the floor, the stark white tiles stained red. Dr North- no, Morgoth, stood in the midst of the carnage, leaning over Dr Brightman. She was kneeling on the floor, her eyes wide as his burned hands squeezed her neck. The look on his face was feral; lips twisted hatefully, teeth barred, eyes glowing red.
He dropped the woman to the ground, and she lay unmoving. Morgoth wiped his mouth with his sleeve and then a grin twisted his face. He began to laugh, and the sound made me cover my ears. The red light in his eyes increased, and he looked up, seemed to look right at me.
"You are mine," he said, his laughter strangling his words. "And I will have you."