By Zapper

Synopsis: Logan a former Navy SEAL left the teams to pursue work as a civilian contractor and landed a job working the Elite Security Firm. The Firm specializes in providing security to the rich and influential. Logan was hired to protect Molly Falk except that things become much more complicated when after a shooting he’s offered an unexpected position by Richard Falk (Molly’s dad) to protect Molly. Enter the Medallion of Zulo and Logan soon finds himself in Molly’s shoes, literally. As Molly and Logan try to adjust the terrorists attack and they are forced to use an artifact to escape to the Falk estate. Finding themselves in a new world Molly and Logan are soon caught up in events in Nevrast as Morgoth attempts to destroy the remaining Elves in that land. War has come to Nevrast can Molly and Logan survive and return to earth?

Author Note:

1: This story is based on the Altered Fates Universe concept established by Jennifer Adams, however I’ve taken some artistic liberties so this story doesn’t strictly adhere to the rules Jennifer established.

2: This is also a fanfic of the J.R.R. Tolkien world of Middle Earth in an untold tale of the First Age. Please note; I didn’t stay completely true to the Middle Earth that Tolkien set up. This is my take on what Middle Earth in the First Age might have been like.

3: I want to send a big thank you to Eric for beta reading and offering plot ideas and Mr. 20' Biceps for reading my drafts and giving me sound advice proofreading! This story is much better because of their efforts!

Logan was bored. Boredom was a part of his profession and was something he’d gotten used to during his time with the Teams. He grinned ruefully, yep, on the teams it was generally hours of boredom, followed by minutes of sheer adrenaline pumping action, and then more boredom. ‘Some things never change, and some things do,’ Logan thought. He scanned the parking lot from the driver’s seat of his black SUV. Logan had left the U.S. Navy about a year ago, and it had been one of the hardest decisions he’d ever made. Being a Navy SEAL had been a dream come true, he’d loved the action and the camaraderie, but the job had taken its toll. Logan had lost friends in battle and had knee surgery after tearing the ACL in his left knee during a training HALO (high altitude low opening) jump. There is a reason why there are so few ‘old’ SEALs on the teams, so after eight years Logan had decided to get out.

Just then Logan spotted Molly walking out of the athletic facility. Molly was the only daughter of Richard Falk and it was his job to protect her. Molly was a senior at the University of Michigan and played on the women’s varsity tennis team. She was a tall athletic red head and if Logan wasn’t getting paid to protect her he’d have asked her out. At the moment Logan was trying to be discrete as he watched Molly make her way to her Mercedes.

Then it happened. A plain white van jumped the curb between the parking lot and the street and screeched to a halt behind Molly’s car. The sliding door flew open and two men jumped out heading straight for Molly. Logan acted without hesitation. He pushed the emergency button on the small fob like device he wore around his neck and threw the SUV into gear punching down on the accelerator. The device around Logan’s neck only looked like a key fob. It sent a signal to the company Logan worked for alerting them to the fact that Logan had an emergency situation.

One of the two men grabbed Molly by the arm, but before the other guy could get a grip on her Molly swung her gym bag at him aiming for his groin. Unfortunately she missed. He twisted to one side avoiding the bag, but it slowed him down. The first attacker, who had Molly by the arm, lifted his hand to backhand her when Logan crashed all five thousand pounds of his armored SUV into the driver’s side of the van. Even though he’d only been doing twenty miles per hour on impact the force pushed the van into Molly’s Mercedes and the car parked next to Molly. This wedged the van in place and trapped the driver. Logan was out and moving before the two terrorists trying to grab Molly understood what was going on.

Back on the teams Logan would have just drawn his M9 and shot these clowns but in the civilian world the ROE (rules of engagement) was different. The guy Molly had slowed down with her bag turned to confront Logan in time to take both projectiles from Logan’s Taser in the chest. The man dropped to the ground twitching spasmodically as 300kV hit him.

Logan looked over at the terrorist who’d been holding Molly and saw that he had one arm around her waist and in his other hand he was now holding a semi-auto, pressed into her temple. Logan dropped the Taser and drew his Beretta 96A while moving forward into a classic Weaver stance. He activated the LaserMax and spotted the green dot. Logan adjusted his aim slightly, putting the dot in the center of the terrorist’s forehead. However, Logan hesitated, the military used the Beretta 92 9mm, because Logan was now a civilian he could pick his weapon and he’d gone with the 96A because of the greater knock down power of the .40. This wasn’t what caused Logan to hesitate. If he shot the would-be kidnapper and the guy convulsed while dying he might squeeze the trigger. With the gun pressed to Molly’s head even this terrorist puke couldn’t miss. Logan’s job was to protect her so at the moment he couldn’t risk the shot.

“Back off or she’s dead!”

The accent was middle-eastern confirming for Logan this was the group that had been threatening Mr. Falk and his family for over a year now. Suddenly, Molly moved, ducking forward and away from the gun. This was all the opening Logan needed and before the terrorist could react he squeezed the trigger twice. The man’s head exploded as the rounds smashed through it.

Just then there was the sound of tires screeching, the guy who’d been driving the van had it in reverse and was trying to pull it out from where Logan had wedged it. Not waiting to see if Molly was okay Logan raced to the front passenger door of the van. The driver, upon seeing Logan, frantically tried to pull a weapon from his shoulder holster. Logan fired again and the passenger’s side window exploded as Logan’s rounds struck home.

Mr. Richard Falk was very wealthy, and from what Logan had heard, he’d made his fortune in middle-eastern oil and then later on by trading ancient artifacts. There had been threats against Mr. Falk and his family by a group linked to Al-Qaeda for over a year. After the first attempted kidnaping and the death of his wife Mr. Falk had hired protection from a private security company called the “Elite Security Firm,” or just the “Firm” to most of its employees. The Firm consisted mostly of former SpecOps guys recruited from all four branches of the U.S. Military for this type of work. Although Logan chuckled when he thought of the name, because the “Elite” part could also be a reference to what the Firm charged for security.

Logan slowly sipped his beer not really paying any attention to the buzz of conversation around him. Just before the cops had shown up another SUV from the Firm had arrived. Logan spoke briefly with Molly before the cops took her for questioning and had been impressed with how calm and level headed she was. The police took her statement and then the Firm, using the second SUV, had taken Molly home. Meanwhile Logan had to go downtown to make his statement. His gun and Taser had been taken by the police as evidence and Logan had been allowed to go home. The next day Logan’s supervisor explained that he was now on “administrative” leave. It was all part of the Firm’s SOP. Logan would be off for a few days and then have to go through a series of counseling sessions to make sure he didn’t have PTSD from the shooting. Once the police had cleared him of any wrong doing and the Doctors gave him a clean bill of health he’d be allowed to return to work.

“What a bunch of crap!” Logan muttered, staring morosely into his half empty beer.

“Logan Campbell?”

At the sound of his name Logan looked up and spotted a tall thin elderly man with dark blonde hair going grey at the temples. The man was standing a few feet away looking over at Logan with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, that’s me.” Logan said and then something clicked. He’d never spoken to Richard Falk, but he’d seen him when he worked the estate detail. “What brings you down here, Mr. Falk, and where is your security?”

The man grimaced slightly and then motioned to an empty chair across from Logan.

“May I sit down?”

“Sure, as long as you’re buying.”

“Miss, two of whatever he’s drinking,” Falk said, to the bartender before sliding into the chair across from Logan.

Besides the expensive clothes, Logan noticed there was something odd about Falk. Most well-to-do folks would have been uncomfortable in a dive like this, the sawdust and peanut shells on the floor all by itself should have made him uncomfortable. But if it did, Falk hid it well.

“So what can I do for you Mr. Falk?”

“Please, Richard, after all you saved my little girl’s life yesterday.”

“Okay, Richard, what brings you to a place like this?”

“I wanted to talk to you, privately, first to say thank you. And although it’s against the Firm’s policy I’d like to offer you a bonus.” Just then a waitress showed up with a pair of bud’s and clunked them on the table before disappearing again.

“I won’t turn down a bonus, particularly since I’m on “administrative” leave.” Logan made air quotes around the word “administrative.”

“Good”

Richard took a sip from the bottle before reaching into his suit jacket to pull out an envelope. He slid it over to Logan who folded it and put it in his jeans pocket without looking at it.

“You said you had more than one reason for being here?”

“Yes, I’d like you to come over to the estate tomorrow for dinner. I’ve got a business proposition I’d like to discuss with you. After what you did yesterday. . . I read the police report, as well as your statement, and I watched the video taken from the University’s security cameras. I’ve never seen anyone do the things you did. I’m very impressed.”

Logan didn’t say anything. Instead he drained the rest of his beer and picked up the fresh one. In the back of his mind he was surprised that Falk had gotten copies of the police report and had seen the video footage. He was obviously influential as well as rich.

“Come over at six for dinner and afterward we’ll talk business. The worst case is that you’ll have a great meal and turn down my proposition.”

“Well, I’ve got nothing going on for the next thirty days and I can always use a good meal.” Logan replied with a crooked grin.

“Excellent!” Richard reached out to shake Logan’s hand. “Unfortunately, I need to get going before my security team notices my leisurely drive is taking longer than anticipated.”

Logan watched as Richard stood up leaving a one hundred dollar bill on the table.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, please keep an open mind.”

The drive out to the Falk estate was one Logan had made several times as part of the estate security detail. That is until he’d been assigned to the team protecting Molly. Molly had her own place so it had been a couple of months since Logan had been here. As far as he could tell nothing had changed.

Logan had reported Richard’s offer to his supervisor and been counseled that the Firm frowned on its employees taking side jobs. But there really wasn’t anything the Firm could do particularly since Logan was on administrative leave. The way Logan saw it, until he was cleared, he could take any additional work he wanted.

It was a beautiful day and Logan relished the drive since instead of a company SUV he was driving his private vehicle. The 1972, Ford Mustang Mach 1 convertible growled and the power under the hood gave Logan a childlike thrill, the same as it did every time he got behind the wheel. Logan slowed the classic muscle car as he approached the wrought iron gate of the Falk estate. Stopping next to the pedestal, that housed a speaker and camera, Logan reached out to push the button when a voice stopped him.

“Logan, this is Paul, you can head up to the main house your expected.”

“Thanks, Paul.”

“No worries, oh. . . . Nice work, the other day.”

Logan grinned as the gate slid open and he gunned the engine before driving slowly up the winding driveway. Because he knew that there were cameras watching, and since he knew the location of each camera and the guys doing the watching, he made sure to give them the bird as he drove by.

Logan parked his Stang in front of the large entrance to the estate and climbed out. Since it was dinner, Logan had decided to dress up, cowboy boots, large buckle, and a plaid shirt with a tan jacket. Probably not a sight the Falk’s were used to seeing, but Logan figured they needed to know who they were thinking about hiring. To his surprise Molly opened the front door before he could ring the bell.

“Mister Campbell, it’s so good to meet you, again. Thank you, for coming to dinner, and for your help the other day.”

For a second Logan didn’t know what to say or how to respond. Molly was wearing a black cocktail dress that started just above her breasts and stopped just below her knees. The dress was tight, expensive, and left little to Logan’s imagination. Coming to a stop in front of Molly Logan realized that she was only an inch or two shorter than him. Molly extended her hand as though to shake Logan’s hand, but he scooped her hand up and kissed her fingers.

“It was my pleasure, Ma’am, the other day . . . and tonight.”

Molly flushed a bright crimson clearly visible with her pale complexion. “I must say you’re more handsome than I remember.”

Now it was Logan’s turn to be slightly tongue tied, “Thank you, ma’am, you’re just as lovely as I remember.”

“A silver tongue to go with a handsome face, I think I’m going to enjoy . . . getting to know you.”

Logan grinned broadly at having charmed Molly, “I’m at your disposal.”

“Ooh, be careful, I may hold you to that!” Molly giggled slightly at Logan’s confused expression. “Please, come with me, Maria has set us a small dinner in the library. Oh, did you bring an overnight bag? My father’s dinners can sometimes go late and often involve large amounts of alcohol.”

Logan stepped into the mansion planning to follow behind Molly however, she had a different idea. Molly tucked her arm into Logan’s forcing him to walk next to her.

“Sounds like my kind of dinner.” Logan responded with a grin, “I’ll be fine. I keep a bug-out bag in my car.”

“A bug-out bag?”

“Ah, sorry, for the military jargon, a small bag with just enough essentials for a day or two.”

“Oh, why do you call it a bug-out bag?” Molly asked, sliding closer to him as they walked, and then she glanced up and over at Logan between her long black eyelashes. The move subtly displayed Molly’s cleavage and Logan had to tear his eyes away to meet Molly’s.

“In case I have to leave in a hurry, you know, bug-out.”

At this Molly giggled showing a set of dimples, “How clever. But you don’t have to worry about leaving in a hurry. After what you did for me, my father practically wants to make you a member of the family.”

Logan didn’t know how to respond to this so decided to change the topic. “Can I ask you a question? Do you always answer the door, ma’am?”

“Please, you saved my life, you can call me Molly. And no, daddy asked me to get it since he’s given the staff the night off.”

Logan met Molly’s eyes for a second. “Fine, I’ll call you Molly, if you call me Logan.”

That settled, Molly led Logan toward the library. Although Logan had the floor plan memorized from his time working security on the estate, it was pleasant to be led around by this lovely creature.

“Sort of ostentatious, isn’t it?”

“I was thinking that you have a beautiful home.” Logan replied trying to be diplomatic. The vaulted ceilings and marble floor was a little over the top.

“You have to understand. The men my father has had to deal with are mostly middle-eastern and they expect a certain level of opulence in their business partners or they wouldn’t think he was up to the job.”

Logan nodded in response. He had been on the estate before so this wasn’t new. What was new was that Molly and her father were taking an interest in him. Molly led Logan to a side door, her high heels clicking against the marble floor, and then up a staircase into the wing the security team referred to as the ‘family’ quarters. As they walked down a second floor corridor their footsteps were now muted by a runner of plush carpet that ran the length of the hallway. They passed one closed door after another until Logan spotted the portrait of a beautiful woman looking down at them. Molly paused seeing what Logan was staring at.

“That’s my mother.” Then after a painful pause, “She was killed a year ago during the first attempt on my father.”

“I know. It was in the background package the Firm gave me to memorize when I took this job. I’m sorry for your loss.”

At this Molly squeezed Logan’s arm, but didn’t say anything. Instead she started walking again and soon they reached their destination. Molly slid open a heavy wooden door and Logan noticed immediately that the air within the library was cool and dry, obviously climate controlled to protect the books. The size of the library and the number of books was impressive.

As he followed Molly Logan noticed that the room was circular and it had two levels with a high vaulted ceiling and a pair of steep staircases that would allow access to the main floor. Molly led Logan forward moving through pools of colored light cast by the stained glass windows along the far wall and then down the steep steps to the library floor.

“Is your dad a fan of American history?” Logan asked glancing at the scene depicted in the window.

“More like a student of history in general.” A man’s voice responded.

Logan and Molly stepped onto the hard wood of the main floor and Logan looked around for Richard. In the middle of the room a table had been set for dinner. It had several covered dishes, an open bottle of red wine, and an ice chest to one side with bottles of beer poking out of the ice. Logan could smell the delicious aroma of whatever was under the covered dishes.

“Welcome to my home.”

Logan glanced to one side finally spotting Richard Falk as he set a book down and stood up. Logan was again struck by the fact that although his clothes were expensive here was a man comfortable in any setting.

“Thank you, sir. All of this is appreciated, and unnecessary.”

“Nonsense, you saved my daughter’s life a simple dinner, to say thank you, is nothing next to that!” Richard moved forward and shook Logan’s hand. “And please, call me Richard. Come let’s eat before things start to get cold.”

Dinner wasn’t what Logan had expected, salad, followed by steak, potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, with freshly baked bread, and for desert a simple piece of apple pie with vanilla ice cream on the side. The whole meal had been set out in warmers and Richard and Molly seemed to find a great deal of pleasure in being able to eat family style instead of having someone bring them each course.

As the meal progressed Logan found himself relaxing, Molly and her dad weren’t what he’d been expecting, and Logan found that it was easy to talk to them. Once dinner was over Richard pushed his chair back with a groan of contentment.

“Logan, one of my weaknesses is a fondness for cigars. Would you care to join me for one?”

“Sure.”

“If you gentlemen are going smoking then, I’ll go freshen up. And maybe try something else on.”

Logan glanced over at Molly’s lithe figure appreciatively, before he followed Richard out a small unobtrusive door onto an intimate patio protected on three sides by a tall hedge. The patio had a set of expensive looking outdoor furniture and was tastefully landscaped. Night had fallen while they’d been eating but the patio was lit by a pair of tall wrought iron lamp posts. After the men left Molly walked over to the chair where Logan had draped his jacket and took it with her as she departed.

“Try one of these,” Richard extended a small case he’d taken from his pocket that held four cigars. In short order the ends were clipped off and the two men were puffing contentedly.

“Richard, I appreciate the meal, but you said something about a business proposition?”

“I’d like to offer you a job.” Richard said coming straight to the point. “But first I need to ask you a question.” After a minute when Logan didn’t respond Richard continued. “Have you ever encountered anything that you can’t explain?”

“Like a hunch or a gut feeling?”

“Yes, but more than that, have you ever walked into a building and thought you’ve been there before knowing that it’s impossible?”

“Sure, why?”

“What I’m getting at is the existence of forces and powers beyond our understanding.”

“Are you talking about magic?” Logan asked feeling slightly amused.

Richard had been looking intensely at Logan and now he looked away. “I’ll do anything to protect my daughter. I’d like to hire you to protect her.”

“Richard, you’re already paying the Firm a lot of money to protect you and your daughter. What can I do that they’re not doing?”

At this Richard glanced cautiously back at Logan. “I think that the people who want to hurt me and my daughter have many resources including large sums of money. I think the Firm has been compromised. I don’t know if they’re paying someone on the inside or if they’ve just hacked the computer system. But that attack on my daughter the day before yesterday was too organized and far too coincidental.”

Logan nodded slowly. “Something’s been bothering me about that situation, I think you’re right. Normally there are at least two agents on duty. My partner had a family emergency so I was solo. That was the first time Molly only had one guard protecting her in months. And there was a mix up with vehicles so I was late arriving on campus.” Logan’s mind was now racing as he replayed the morning’s events.

“Exactly,” Richard agreed.

“So what did you want me to do?”

“I’d like to disguise Molly and send her away for her own protection.”

“And you’d like me to go with her and protect her?”

“No and yes . . . I’ve acquired an object that allows a person to assume another’s identity. I’d like to use this object on both of you.”

“I don’t understand. I mean, I get disguising Molly, but why me? I’m not famous. The terrorists don’t know what I look like and if I’m not with her, how can I protect her?”

At this the sound of the library door opening caused Logan and Richard to turn around. The light from the library was much brighter than the patio and it was in Logan’s eyes making it difficult for him to recognize the man walking toward him.

“I’d like you to take Molly’s place while she goes to a resort in the Caribbean in yours.”

“This isn’t possible,” Logan whispered, stepping backward in shock. The man had stepped out of the light and Logan now found himself looking into his own face.

“Hi, Logan, don’t you recognize me?” The man asked using Logan’s typical crooked grin while hooking the thumb of his right hand in his belt. “I’m sure you recognize the clothes, they’re from your bug-out bag.”

“Who are you?! What the fuck is going on?! Why do you look just like me?” Logan said taking another step away from his doppelgänger.

“It’s me, Molly, and I can prove it.” With that Molly reached into her front pocket and pulled out a medallion.

“That’s impossible, there’s no way you’re Molly!”

Ignoring Logan’s comment Molly glanced at her dad who gave her a slight nod. “I’m sure by now Daddy has asked you about magic. Well, the fact is magic is real, and this is called the Medallion of Zulo.”

“That’s impossible.” Logan said getting angry. “Look I may not be the smartest guy in the world, but I know what I know, and what you’re saying is impossible!”

“If it’s impossible then how do you explain how I look?” When Logan didn’t say anything Molly continued, “If magic isn’t real you can prove us wrong. Put the medallion on and then hold this up to it.” In one hand Molly extended the medallion and in the other he held the black cocktail dress Molly had been wearing earlier.

Suddenly Logan was unsure of himself. He looked back and forth between Richard and the man who said he was really Richard’s daughter Molly. What if they weren’t lying? What if that cheap looking medallion could actually transform one person into another?

“I still don’t believe you. But if what you say is true, what will that thing turn me into?”

“As Molly said, it’s called the medallion of Zulo and it’s an ancient artifact.” Richard said causing Logan to glance at him. “After a considerable amount of time and effort I was able to acquire it. What it will turn you into depends on how you use it. In this case by touching it to Molly’s dress you’ll turn into a perfect copy of her. If you and I were to touch it at the same time we’d turn into copies of each other.”

“You want me to become your daughter?” Logan asked in astonishment his mind finally understanding what Richard had been asking him to do.

“Temporarily. Just until we figure out who’s behind the threats and plug the leak at the Firm. I’ll tell your company that I’m sending you on an all-expense paid vacation, as a way of saying thank you for saving Molly’s life. Molly, as you, will go on that vacation. You’ll stay here and pretend to be her. If they make another attempt on Molly’s life you’ll be in a perfect position to stop them.”

Logan glanced back at Molly who stood there silently holding out the medallion and the dress a look of challenge in her eye. “Are you afraid that you won’t be able to defend yourself without your big muscles and manly body?” she teased.

“I’m not afraid of anything!” Logan snapped back, “But I’m not interested in being a girl. Not even for a few days.”

“Will you do it for a million dollars?” The question was asked quietly but it got Logan’s attention.

“Come again?”

“I’ll pay you one million dollars if you agree to be Molly for the next thirty days or until we put an end to this threat, whichever comes first.”

For several seconds Logan didn’t say anything. Magic wasn’t real. Yet there was no way Logan could explain the fact that he was looking at his perfect twin. The guy even moved like him. Logan liked Richard and his daughter and didn’t want anything bad to happen to them, but what they were asking wasn’t possible and if it was could he deal with it? Then there was the money, in four weeks he’d make more money than he could in ten years as a bodyguard.

“Two million.”

Richard grinned, “One point five.”

Logan he held out his hand, “Alright what do I have to do?