Chapter 5
The Shadow of the Past

Fred cried out and reached for the ring, but stopped himself. He could just as easily burn his hand off. But still, that was BobbyÂ’s ring, and Greg had no right to throw it in the fire like that. Steaming mad, he took a step back and glared at Greg.

“What was that for?”

“A test,” answered Greg, staring down into the oven. “And I think the ring passed it.” Fred looked down. The ring was there, still intact. It was not even glowing red, or appearing to be affected at all. Greg reached in with the fire poker and fished the ring out. He held it out to Fred.

“Take it! You’ll find it pretty cold.” Without waiting for Fred to answer, he dropped the ring in Fred’s hand. Fred expected to be burnt. Instead, the ring was very cold, almost the same heat as when Greg had thrown it in. Fred examined it.

And noticed something he hadnÂ’t noticed before. There was writing on the ring, so tiny that he could barely make it out.

It read:

Îäíî êîëüöî, ÷òîáû óïðàâëÿòü èìè âñåìè,
Îäíî êîëüöî, ÷òîáû íàéòè èõ,
Îäíî êîëüöî, ÷òîáû ïðèíåñòè èõ âñåõ,
È â òåìíîòå ñâÿçûâàþò èõ.

“Greg, there’s writing on this.” Fred said, a little confused, “What does it mean?”

Greg stared down at the ring, and then sighed heavily. “That our worst fears have been confirmed. Take a seat at the table, and I’ll explain it all to you.”

Fred walked over to the kitchen table and sat. He placed the ring on the table, but never took his eyes off it. Greg sat across from him and lit up a cigarette. The glow of the butt mixed eerily with the red light of the stove in the dark room.

“What you see on the ring is what I have always dreaded,” Greg explained. “That proves, once and for all, that that is the one ring, made by Czaron to control his dark machine. It simply says ‘One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.”

“But what does that mean?” Fred asked.

Greg sighed. “It means that that ring is the one thing that can destroy the most evil man in the universe. But the ring also has great power. Place it in contact with a computer and you can hack into any file you wish. Touch any other electrical appliance, and you can instantly short it out-”

“That’s how Bobby made the lights go out a year ago!”

Greg nodded slowly. “Yes. Yes it is. But the ring should never be used that way. It is a dangerous item, coveted by nations around the world. And it seems that where it goes is completely up to you. There is one place, however, that the ring cannot go. You must never, under any circumstances, allow the ring to fall into the hands of Czaron or one of his minions.”

“Why not?” Fred asked before he could stop himself.

“Like I said before, this is the one ring. Czaron needs only this ring to destroy all of democracy, and install a new world order with him as the leader.”

Fred racked his brain. “Like… like another Hitler?”

“Worse. If Czaron gets this ring, the world will end.”

“Metaphorically or literally?”

“Both.”

Fred leaned back in this chair. “Wait a moment. Who is this ‘Czaron’ you keep referring to, and why does he want Bobby’s ring?”

Greg sighed. “I forgot how sadly misinformed you are. Czaron is a Russian crime boss. Was a Russian crime boss. Years ago, he participated in an experiment gone bad…” Greg’s voice rose and fell as he told of Czaron’s machine and the strike force that had ventured into Czaron’s lair to kill the man. He explained the terrorist attacks in the weeks to come, finally telling the story of Bobby’s encounter with the strange boy in the mountains.

“Did you ever find out his name?” Fred asked when he had finished.

Greg shook his head. “In the years to come, I did. After Bobby told me the whole story, I investigated for myself. The boy’s name was Samuel Damian. Bobby just called him ‘Gollum’ because of the noise he kept making his throat.”

“What about-” Fred began, but Greg cut him off.

“We have no more time to sit and talk. I have given you the basics; you must learn the rest of the story as you go along. Hurry! I have been so wrapped up in my story that I’ve forgotten why I’m here.”

Fred stood. “Why? Aren’t you here to check on me?”

“No.” Greg stood as well and shook his head. “I am here for a much darker purpose than that. I am here to ask you to leave the Appalachians and journey deep into the heart of M.O.R.D.O.R. territory. Fred, I am asking you to destroy the one ring.”

“But it can’t be destroyed! You said so yourself!” Fred exclaimed.

“There is one way the ring can be destroyed. The ring is made of a special kind of metal. It only melts if it comes in contact with the same metal at extremely high temperatures. Unfortunately, there is only one other place in the world that this kind of metal exists at the temperatures that we need; in the very heart of Czaron’s core. Throw the ring in that, and it will react in such a way that the entire computer will be destroyed. I’m asking you to do that.”

Fred walked into the den. Greg followed. “We put it away.” Fred said. “We never speak of it again. No one knows it’s here. Czaron doesn’t know. No one ever told him. Did they?” He turned. “Did they, Greg?”

Greg paused, and then inhaled. “There was one other who knew that Bobby had the ring. I looked everywhere for the creature Gollum, but the mafia found him first. In the darkness of their horrible skyscraper they tortured him, until they got two words out of him. Appalachians,” he held up one finger, and then drew the other up menacingly. “And Baggins. They are coming. Here.”

Fred took a step towards Greg and held out the ring. “Take it, Greg! Take it! Take it to the F.B.I., take it to the government! Take it and do whatever you can! I can’t do this.”

“DON’T,” roared Greg, “TEMPT ME, FRED!” Fred took a step back. “Understand, I would try to use this ring for good.” Greg explained. “But eventually, the temptation would be too great. Understand, to have unlimited access to the world’s electronics is like being omnipotent. The temptation would be great, I would give in, and…” He didn’t bother to finish the sentence.

Fred stood, silent for a moment. “What must I do?”

Greg strode out the room. Fred followed. Greg walked into the hallway and opened the closet door. He selected a coat and handed it to Fred. “You must leave. Tonight. Take nothing with you except some money. Here.” He pulled out his credit card and handed it to Fred. “It’s my unlisted account. The F.B.I. doesn’t know it exists, so if this goes bad, they can’t trace it to you. Use whatever you need, and don’t worry about paying me back. And here.” He pulled a small chain out of his pocket. “Put the ring on this chain and pretend it’s a necklace. Never wear it out where anyone can see, and never use it!”

Fred slipped on the jacket, put on the ring-necklace, and put GregÂ’s credit card in his pocket. Then he stared up at his friend. Greg smiled.

“You and Bobby are strange ones, no doubt.” He said. “You can learn all there is to know about you two in a week, and in sixteen years you can still surprise me.”

And then something moved outside.

Greg muttered “Get down!” and Fred dropped to the floor. Greg drew his 9mm and pointed it at the door. Slowly, he made his way towards it. Motioning for Fred to stay on the ground, he slid open the door and slipped out. There was dead silence.

Then a single gunshot rang out.

To Be ContinuedÂ…