This chapter of Unfaithful is dedicated to calenore, who has read and reviewed every single one of my stories, and who has never wavered in support. Thank you.

Unfaithful

Chapter 7: From Trivia to Shadow Demons to Housebreaking Demons

Erin Evans plopped down in a seat between Elladan and Elrohir. She felt completely worn out--- that included her muscles, her body, and even her mind. Reinhardt’s death had been a sudden surprise for all of them. She wanted to sleep but she could not; her exhausted yet restless mind was keeping her awake. Erin turned and groaned, trying to ease her sore back and block out the noises emitted from the engines of the plane. At the sound of her groan, Hopkins peered around Elrohir and glanced at Erin.

“You all right, Erin?” he asked concernedly.

Erin waved a dismissive hand. “I’m fine,” she replied. Cocking her head, she said, “Tired, exhausted, constant head rushes... yeah, but I’m fine.”

Hopkins snorted rather unprofessionally.

“Try to sleep.”

“I can’t,” growled Erin, glaring at him.

At this, Elrohir sighed and looked up at her--- Elladan turned around also.

“Well... what do you want to do?” asked Elrohir.

Erin shrugged. “Whatever.”

Hopkins peered at the pile of cue cards Elrohir was holding in his hands.

“AJ, what are those?” asked Hopkins curiously.

“These?” asked Elrohir, holding up the cue cards. Hopkins nodded. “They’re a kind of trivia my father made up,” he explained. “We often quizzed each other with these when we were young, didn’t we Eric?”

“Yeah,” replied Elladan, smiling mysteriously. “We made up all these new questions when we were bored. It’s a good way to remember facts.”

“Very interesting,” said Hopkins, bemused. He nodded towards Erin. “Why don’t you two test her for fun?”

Erin scowled. “What is this? Testing my IQ?”

Hopkins chuckled. “Go on,” he encouraged. “Just try her. I guarantee you, she can be quite difficult at times.”

Elladan raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, here we go,” he began. “Question One: What is a megaparsec?”

Elrohir frowned at him. Did he really expect Erin to answer that correctly? But they were surprised.

“3.26 million light years,” she answered immediately and then smiled smugly at them.

Elladan glanced at his brother, who looked disbelieving.

“Not bad, Erin,” commented Elladan wryly.

The twins took turns asking Erin questions.

“What’s E=mc2?”

“Einstein’s equation.”

“What does E stand for?”

“Energy.”

“m?”

“Mass.”

“c2?”

“The square of the velocity of light in centimeters per second.”

“What is the square root of 5?”

“2.236.”

“The novel, Mrs. Dalloway, is written by which famous female author?”

“How the heck would I know that?” demanded Erin. “Am I supposed to remember every single female author in the world?”

“What’s the capital city of Texas?”

“Who knows...?” grumbled Erin, glaring at Elrohir. “Probably Dallas or something.”

“What is the scientific name for the ‘suicide bags’ inside a white blood cell?”

“Lysosomes.”

“What is the capital city of Canada?”

“I am not any good at geography. Toronto--- no wait; Ottawa... I think.”

“What is 589 times 896?”

“527, 744.”

“What year did Sir Isaac Newton die?”

“1727.”

“The British people loved Queen Elizabeth I and named the years of her reign after their beloved queen. What did they name the time of her rule?”

“Haven’t got the faintest idea. The Queen Elizabeth Reign?”

Elrohir snorted. “Ha, ha,” he commented dryly.

“Name a book written by Professor J.R.R. Tolkien.”

Erin frowned, trying to think. “I don’t read fantasy but I know he wrote a series... can’t remember the name though. Maybe it’s Harry Potter.”

“There are four dimensions; the first, the second, the third, and the fourth. What is the first dimension?”

“A line: ----“

“What is the second dimension?”

“Well, you would square the line so the second dimension is a flat square.”

“The third dimension?”

“You’d square the square so now you have a bottom, sides, and a top. For example: a cube.”

“Fourth dimension?”

“I guess you would square the cube. But you can’t exactly draw it. I guess you would say the fourth dimension is time.”

“Who was Thomas Jefferson?” asked Elladan.

“Some important, historic American guy,” replied Erin vaguely.

Elladan laughed. “Sorry, but that would not be the correct answer.” He turned towards Hopkins.

“Former American president,” Hopkins replied promptly, stealing a smug glance at Erin. “He wrote the American Declaration of Independence in 1776.”

“Recite to me the beginning of the Declaration, starting with: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident...’”

When Erin shrugged indifferently, Hopkins answered for her.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. --- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers---”

“Okay, okay, I get the point!” Elladan chuckled, cutting him off. “That’s good, that’s good enough.”

Elrohir grinned. “I see what you mean, Mr. Hopkins,” he said, pointing at a scowling Erin. “Her--- I wouldn’t want to teach. She’s brilliant in her own terms, but definitely a little one-sided.”

“Math and science are her specialties,” explained Hopkins, delighting in Erin’s grumpiness. “But when it comes to literature, history, or geography, don’t expect her to be a help.”

An hour later, the four of them were silent again. They grew tired of the trivia and resumed staring ahead blankly, waiting for the plane to reach its destination. Erin vented air from her nostrils impatiently.

“Just a little longer,” said Elrohir, cutting off Erin before she could even ask the question.

“Why did I let Eric drag me on a plane to Chicago?” groaned Erin.

“Because I have nothing to do and you have nothing to do. Therefore two people with nothing to do have no better option than to travel to Chicago,” replied Elladan exasperatedly.

“You obviously failed math,” sniffed Erin.

Elrohir and Hopkins laughed.

“You’ll like Chicago, Erin,” said Hopkins, trying to soothe her impatience. “I think you will like the city a lot. Maybe you will even get to met Dr. Parker--- I know how interested you are in his work.”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Erin, looking a little less put off.

“We can arrange that,” Elladan butted in. “My father would like that...”

He and Elrohir exchanged secret glances... knowing that Elrond would be interested in meeting Erin for more than one reason.

The engine of the aircraft rumbled gone, heading west for Chicago. The passengers aboard were either sleeping or resting; none were aware of the darkness that was following them. These shadows were odious, restless, and full of malice. They hid themselves well... traveling across the land in their own means, without the uses of vehicles or aircrafts. Everywhere they went, hatred and destruction followed. They were heading for Chicago.

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Aidan Ellis wasn’t much of a night owl, but he had worked overtime that evening and was now heading home at a rather late hour. He felt uneasy as he walked down the street, heading towards his apartment. The streetlights seemed unusually dim, not giving off much brightness at all. It seemed so dark outside. No, Aidan was not afraid of the dark. It was not the dark that scared him, but rather the cold feeling he had inside--- that something dangerous and evil was close by, waiting for the exact moment to bear down on him.

He shuddered and clutched his case envelope tighter. Keep it together, he ordered himself sternly. This is all crazy. There is nothing dangerous here. Keep it together.

He turned around a corner, peering uneasily down the empty street. He walked slowly, dreading the fact that his footsteps were so clear and crisp in the cold November air.

Suddenly, he froze on the spot. He thought he heard an eerie swishing sound.

He glanced around in all directions, and saw nothing. He continued walking--- but a little while later, he halted, hearing the mysterious swishing sound again...

“Who- who’s there?” asked Aidan, his voice quivering slightly.

There was no answer.

“Come out, wherever you’re hiding!” ordered Aidan. He turned his head in all directions but there was no one there.

“This is your last warning! Show yourself now!” he shouted.

Then, the swishing noise came again, approaching him. Aidan shivered, not from just the cold temperature but from the darkness he felt approaching.

Swish! Aidan gasped and whirled around. He thought he saw a shadow move out of sight. He was shaking in fear. Swish! The noise came again! Aidan could feel his heart pounding painfully inside his chest.

The chilling coldness increased by several times. Aidan could feel that the ‘thing’ was so close...

Then, out of nowhere, a hideous black shadow swooped down upon him! --- Aidan shouted in surprise and fear. He ducked as the shadow swiped over his head, missing by only inches. This was no ordinary shadow... This one was dark--- too dark, and it carried a stench of evil. Aidan opened his eyes a crack and saw the shadow clearly; saw its piercing red eyes and the dark, engulfing, black wings.

The shadow made a terrifying noise and attacked Aidan. This time, they came into contact. It was not like any contact Aidan had ever experienced before. There was no physical feeling, not like a punch in the face or the bruising of a knee--- Like nothing before it, this shadow entered Aidan’s body. He could feel it thrash inside him and trying to drain his energy. The more life he felt being sucked out of him, the stronger the demon grew. Aidan gritted his teeth and screwed up his eyes as he tried with all his might to repel the shadow away. But he was not strong enough to resist it.

Oh no, I don’t want to die now! Aidan thought desperately.

As his energy was leaving him, Aidan thought he heard footsteps approach him. Was it another enemy? The despairing thought plagued his mind.

Later on, all he knew was that he saw a dark figure approach them--- and that the figure held out something in his hand: a vial... that contained the strangest thing imaginable: light. A light brighter than any other artificial light Aidan had ever seen in his life. He saw the figure flash the vial at him. The last thing Aidan remembered was the wraths of the shadow leave him as the luminous light lit up the dark street. He did not even see the face of his savior before he fell into unconsciousness.

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Legolas turned off his television and was ready for a well-deserved night of sleep. It was most likely that everyone in the hotel was asleep and off exploring dreamland--- all except for him.

There was a thump as something heavy hit the door.

Legolas grimaced. Okay, so maybe not everyone was sleeping peacefully.

“Haldir, you could just ring the doorbell like a normal person, you know!” he said exasperatedly.

He wrenched the door open and was prepared to face his companion. But when he looked out the door, it was not the overly cheerful face of Haldir, but the unconscious body of a wounded man.

“Oh shit!” said Legolas, covering his mouth with a hand.

The man had unruly black hair and a young face. He appeared to be exhausted--- not likely to wake any time soon. Legolas bent down to check his pulse. The man was alive; the pulse was weak but still there.

Legolas glanced down both sides of the corridor as he picked the man up. He saw no one. Who had dumped this mortal against his door?

Laying the weakened and unconscious man on his bed, Legolas finally got a good look at the man’s face. The former Mirkwood elf nearly stumbled when he realized the ever so familiar features on the man’s face. Deciding that he would sort this out later, Legolas checked the man’s body over. There were no physical injuries but Legolas was appalled at how weak and almost lifeless the man’s fëar was. Remembering the healing training he had received in his warrior days, Legolas tried to pour some of his own energy into the man. Strangely, he did not feel the man’s spirit strengthen.

Legolas frowned in frustration. It seemed as if there was something in the man that was blocking Legolas’s healing abilities. The Silvan elf suddenly grimaced. His nose twitched slightly. That was strange, he thought to himself. Legolas thought there was the familiar stench of either orcs or Uruk-hai on the man. How odd that was... There has been no orcs around for more than 10 000 years, but Legolas recognized their horrible signature stench in an instant.

A wallet was sticking out from the man’s pocket. Legolas picked it up curiously and found an ID card. The name of the man was Aidan T. Ellis and he worked for Chicago Justice.

After a few more minutes of trying to heal Aidan, Legolas told himself that this was beyond his skill. Only one person could possibly help the man... and Legolas knew where to find him. The elf didn’t hesitate for a fraction of a second before putting on a coat and leaving the hotel, carrying the unconscious man with him.

He hated to disturb Lord Elrond in the middle of the night but this was an emergency.

~*~

After awhile...

The airport was lit cheerily as the bustle of people departed from the plane. Most were puffy eyed and yawning widely from the tiring flight. Several passengers greeted family and friends happily and then headed home or to a hotel for a long rest.

Elrohir yawned widely.

“I’ll never ever travel this late at night again,” he confided. “Ever.”

“I think I’ve got a brain overload,” added Elladan. “Too much information crammed inside here all at once.” He pointed to his head.

They were close to the exit when Hopkins nudged Elrohir.

“Look out,” warned Hopkins.

But it was too late. A fast moving figure tumbled into Elrohir, knocking the Sindarin elf into Erin.

“Watch where you’re going!” snapped Erin.

A cap hid the man’s face as he skittered away without a single glance at Erin or the rest of them.

“Nuts,” said Elladan, shaking his head. “You guys okay?”

“Yeah, whatever... that damn crazy guy,” grumbled Elrohir, rubbing his sore neck. “Let’s get out of here.”

The four of them made it outside where long lines of taxis were waiting to take the passengers to their destinations. That was when they parted ways. Hopkins and Erin decided to get a separate taxi to their hotel while the twins prepared to go home to their parents’ house.

Elrohir settled down in his seat. “It’s cold,” he complained. He rummaged around his coat pocket for a pair of gloves. Instead, he felt his hand connect with a piece of paper. Elrohir pulled it out curiously. How did this get in here? He unfolded it and read the note swiftly.

Parker,

A Shadow Demon attacked Aidan Ellis on Mueller Street earlier tonight. He is exhausted but safe. You should keep sharp eye on him--- the enemy is after Ellis. Don’t be so sure that someone will be there to save him next him.

Ellis was delivered ”Agent Diaz“.

From,

A Friend

P.S. Here’s a hint: Use the light from the star of Eärendil to repel them.

Elrohir stared at the piece of paper. His hand shook slightly. At first, he felt immense guilt at the fact that he wasn’t able to help Aidan; that the only connection to his foster brother had almost been lost. Then he felt nervousness rise in his stomach. Shadow Demons... what were they anyway? Were they a new breed of dark creatures? He was positive that he had never heard of them before. Elrohir’s stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought of the enemy being after Aidan. His heart pounded uneasily at the fact that whomever the enemy was, they already knew the supposed heritage of Aidan--- it was uncanny, especially when Elrohir had just discovered this a few days ago. The thought of spies tailing him entered Elrohir’s mind. Whoever’s behind this must be cunning...

Then, realization dawned on him. A recent scene suddenly surfaced in Elrohir’s mind. The man who ran into me at the airport... He must have slipped the note into my coat pocket, he thought. He had no idea who the man was... They never got the chance to see the man’s face.

Elrohir no longer felt exhaustion. There was something he needed to check out. He turned to Elladan.

“I need to explore a place before we go home,” said the younger twin abruptly.

Elladan frowned. Explore a place? In the middle of the night? Had his brother gone completely crazy?

“You want to explore Chicago at three in the morning?” asked Elladan, looking absurd. “Excuse me while I savor this moment of mentality. Should I even ask why?”

“There’s no time right now,” said Elrohir impatiently. “Aidan has been attacked and I need to check a place out, all right?”

“What?”

He ignored Elladan and leaned over to speak to the taxi driver.

“Drop me off on Mueller Street.”

“Elrohir!” Elladan cut him off. “What happened? What do you mean Aidan has been attacked? Attacked by whom?”

“I- I don’t know,” said Elrohir at last. He took a deep breath. “Go home and tell Father. This is important! Please, Elladan!”

The older twin glanced at his brother warily.

“Okay...” he agreed hesitantly.

“I’ll explain everything later,” said Elrohir rushed. “I promise!”

A while later, the taxi came to a stop at a corner, halting at Mueller Street.

“Thank you,” said Elrohir breathlessly to the driver. “I’ll see you later, Elladan,” he said quickly to his brother.

The taxi drove away, leaving Elrohir in the middle of the street, which was barely lit by the dim streetlights. He walked down the street carefully, checking for any signs of disturbance or clues. If there had been evil here before, Elrohir did not sense it right now.

He had almost reached a large apartment building on Mueller Street when he nearly tripped over something on the pavement. Elrohir bent down: On the ground was a large yellow envelope. He studied it closely; the caption on the envelope read: Case 1869. Beside it was a company’s stamp.

Bingo. Elrohir smiled grimly. He had seen his mother’s work more than once. The signature seal and stamp bore the block-lettered words, Chicago Justice.

Aidan must have dropped this when he was attacked, he mused. Elrohir picked up the envelope. As he was putting it into his coat pocket, a strange sight made him freeze on the spot... On the pavement, carved on the exact area where the envelope had laid, were elvish runes.

“Shadow Demons,” Elrohir translated, reading the runes slowly.

He traced his hand over the marks. The carvings looked too exact and too perfect to be done by a person. When his hands came into contact with the runes, he shuddered at the coldness and malice he felt engraved into the words. Elrohir sensed these feelings ever since the orcs, Uruk-hai, and Balrogs vanished. The searing pain of hatred was the signature of the slaves that followed the former Dark Lord, Sauron.

Elrohir grimaced and pulled away immediately. Taking the envelope with him, he ran away from Mueller Street at top speed. All he wanted was to get away from that dreadful place.

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“Thank you, sir,” said Elladan tiredly but politely to the driver. He handed the man several twenties, knowing that it was more than the fee. “Keep the change.”

Clutching his luggage, Elladan trudged tiredly down the path to his parents’ mansion. The home was large, and it even bore a resemblance to the Last Homely House that they had lived in during the times of middle-earth. The property was large and luxurious. It was located just slightly out of downtown Chicago, which was a convenience for both Elrond and Celebrían.

Rustle rustle.

Elladan was at the door when he heard rustling sounds. He whirled around and dropped his luggage and bags on the porch. He strained his elven instincts, trying to sense something. There were the pattering sounds of footsteps heading around the front of the mansion. Slowly, Elladan followed.

Turning around to the back garden of the house, Elladan glanced around. There! On a spiraling staircase outside of the house were three black-cloaked figures. The black-cloaked demons were terrifyingly dark, blending into the night. They were completely clad in black, and the only things that stood out were their burning red eyes. They were heading up the stairs, trying to reach the balcony so they could enter through the glass door.

“Shit!” cursed Elladan, speeding up as he ran up the spiraling staircase. He heard a shattering sound as the demons broke the glass door.

This was why Reinhardt used to endlessly remind him and other CIA agents to always carry weapons on them. Elladan was thankful for Reinhardt’s reminders at that moment. He whipped out a handgun. Taking quick aim, he fired several shots in succession, taking out one of the demons. The other two demons groaned menacingly, thrashing around, trying to locate Elladan, who was sure that the noise had pretty much woken everyone in the house.

The elf quickly dived through the shattered door, going after the housebreakers. The two remaining demons clawed around the room, denting the hard wood floor and breaking the ornaments that decorated the furniture. Elladan ducked as a beam of red light ejected from one of the demon’s eyes. The laser light hit the glass sculpture behind Elladan and it exploded into a thousand small pieces. Definitely not good, thought Elladan, grimacing.

He fired several shots again. It took over five bullets to kill the second demon. Unfortunately, those were Elladan’s last bullets.

“Damn!” said Elladan. “This is when I wish I had one of my elven swords on me...” he muttered.

He looked frantically around the room, trying to find means of defending himself. As he attempted to make his way across the room, the last remaining demon gave an almighty roar and launched itself at Elladan. The elf ducked but the demon clamped down on top of him. With a quick fist to the demon’s body, Elladan managed to free himself.

Running to the opposite wall, Elladan grabbed one of his father’s antique bows, deciding that Elrond wouldn’t mind him using it if it meant saving his life. The demon, with an inhuman speed was already bearing down on Elladan as the elf notched an arrow. Elladan kicked out sharply at the demon and released the arrow at the same time.

It was impossible to tell if it was a fatal wound or not, for Elladan had no idea where the creature’s vital organs were located.

Several moments later, Elladan felt despairing fear, as the demon did not appear to be badly injured. He braced himself for a hand-to-hand combat as the demon strode towards him again.

“Come with me, elf!” hissed the demon’s terrible, scratched voice. His breath carried a note of doom.

Before the demon could move, there were several flashes of red light as the sounds of gunshots rang in the house. Elladan buried his head in his arms and ducked low as the bullets were aimed at only a few feet away from him. The black-cloaked creature screeched one last time... before keeling over onto the marble floor.

Raising his head at last, Elladan saw who had come to help him.

A golden-haired lady in a white nightgown was holding a gun firmly in her hand. She was beautiful and terrible at the same time. Her face showed no relent or mercy as her eyes flashed dangerously.

“Mother?” said Elladan softly.

She lowered the gun and smiled fondly, --- her facial expressions changing immediately. No longer did Celebrían’s face look cold when her eyes rested on her son.

“Welcome home, Elladan.”

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Fëar--->Spirit, singular

Author’s Note: Hmm... It’s not every day when a mother saves her son from the enemies... Or maybe it is common--- I don’t know. How did you like the trivia? LOL at Erin for being so smart at math and science but knowing nothing when it comes to literature, history, and geography! Anyways, Legolas was never told about Aidan so you can imagine how freaked out he was when he saw him! Of course, our ever so thoughtful warrior elf would put aside his confusion to save someone’s life. Any idea who it was that saved Aidan? --- By the way, yes, the light in the vial is the radiance captured from the star of Eärendil. They’re “Shadow Demons”, I guess they don’t like light very much. *Smirks* Just so you know now, Shadow Demons and the plain Demons Elladan encountered later are different. (Hint: You can’t come into physical contact with Shadow Demons but you can with just plain Demons.) Interesting how the elves sense Shadow Demons/Demons with the same essences as they do with orcs/Uruk-hai/Balrogs... and how they recognize them as slaves of Sauron.

Trivia Answers: (Ones that Erin did not answer correctly...)

Which famous female author wrote the novel, Mrs. Dalloway? Virginia Woolf

What’s the capital city of Texas? Austin

The British people loved Queen Elizabeth I and named the years of her reign after their beloved queen. What did they name the time of her rule? The Elizabethan Age

Name a book written by Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. I don’t know... you tell me!

P.S. You should know that math and science are also my specialties... though I wouldn’t say I am as hopeless as Erin in literature, history, and geography. In one way or another, I enjoy all subjects (well gym is still the best!). Science is definitely the best academic subject!

PLEASE REVIEW!

References to the Lord of the Rings (i.e. characters, places, events, etc.) are Copyrighted © Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Original characters, plots, and events are Copyrighted © 2003 Alexis Delaflote, all rights reserved.