From: nick! Subject: Story Submission No.2: Killing Susan Part one of five(?) Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 16:33:32 +0100 (BST) Me again: I really need to get out more... This follows on from the first story I posted (Rebirth) so if you've not read that then this won't make much sense. All comments are of course welcome but, as always, keep 'em clean. Disclaimer: none of the characters here (bar one) belong to me; i'm making no profit from them; jms can have 'em back when i'm done. Spoilers up to and including season 5 since that's when this is set. Part one is a bit patchy as i'm in the middle of reworking the whole story, but things should improve in part two. W A R N I N G S P O I L E R S KILLING SUSAN PART ONE "Well good morning Marcus." Franklin walked slowly into medlab, a disposable cup of decaff balanced precariously atop the pile of files and datapads in his right hand. His left hand clutched a large paper bag from the donut place in the zocolo. Marcus looked up from his medlab-issue breakfast and scowled, "Stephen, I spent a year on a Drazi colony where the food was so bad it, gave all-new meaning to the phrase 'eat or be eaten'; before that I lived on Minbar where the food is so bland and so long to prepare that you have to meditate to keep yourself from falling asleep; prior to that, my own mother's cooking was the worst on the entire colony where i grew up0 the woman could burn water! But, inspite of all that, this has to be the worst two months my poor stomach has ever faced! Stephen, if I have to eat this...whatever it is, at least have the decency not to bring donuts in here with you....Is that *real* coffee I smell?" Franklin chuckled to himself, "Bad day huh, Marcus? And to think I was going to offer you one..Ah well. An' no, this isn't *real* coffee, Ivanova's the only one who could get hold of that stuff and she guards it like the gold dust it is." He figured he'd teased his patient for long enough and offered him the bag. "Here, I got you a plain one. Don't wanna send your junk food-starved digestive tract into shock!" "Thanks." Franklin leaned against Marcus' bed and the two of them munched their breakfast thoughtfully. "Y'know, apart from when you're unconscious, the only time you ever shut up is when you're eating...I'm gonna remember that!" "Very funny. When do I get out of here and rejoin the world of the living anyway?" "Today. We're all sick of your moaning!" Franklin laughed, licking his fingers before removing the lid from his carton of caff and taking a cautious sip. "But, please, I'm only releasing you if you *promise* to take things easy- you were in cryogenic stasis only 2 months ago, as good as dead, so..." "I know. I'll be good." "I'll believe that when i see it...Oh, I've been meaning to ask, Susan's not been in here to visit you again since you first regained consciousness. Is everything okay between you?" "You're asking *me*? Valen only knows that woman's mind works!" "And boy, would you *love* to find out!" "Wel..." Marcus was refusing to rise to the bait, "She was pretty cut up when her friend left..." "Maggie? Yeah, it was wierd her just disappearing like that- she stole a whitestar and managed to jam the station's computers so she could get out without being stopped or traced. Mind you, things were more than a little weird when she *was* here. I mean, she brought *you* back from the brink, for a start..." "Hm...and please don't start asking me about that again. Because I really don't know..." Franklin noticed that his friend's tone and manner changed slightly but kept quiet about it. Lyta had mentioned to him that some of Maggie's telepathy but have 'rubbed off' on him- how else was he able to reach out to Ivanova when he returned. Most of the time Marcus was largely himself but sometimes...Then Stephen dismissed his concerns- this was his friend and he'd been through heaven only knows what...he prbably just needed time. "Marcus, we already discussed it and agreed that when you felt ready to talk, we would, and not before. So anyway, what about Susan?" "I don't know...At first I thought she was okay with this 'dead one minute, alive the next' stuff, but now I'm not so sure.." "You know what she's like, she doesn't take to change real well thats all. I mean, she's just gotten used to the idea that you're not dead, and suddenly Maggie goes AWOL!" "How is she handling it?" Franklin pulled a face in reply. "That bad? Maybe I should go and see her...Where is she likely to be?" "Same place she always is when she's fed up. But Marcus, maybe you're not the best person to be around her at the moment..." "No, probably not. But I'm going anyway. Is she going back to work yet?" "She's having a medical next week and it'll depend on the results." "What are her chances?" "If she doesn't stop drinking? Low." Susan Ivanova sat slumped at the bar, chin resting on her hands, gazing at the strange shapes her surroundings took on through the empty glass before her. Life was strange. Very, very strange. Particularly on Babylon 5. Life elsewhere seemed so much slower, more sedate than here. No sooner had she arrived back on the station than a 19 year old girl brought the man who had died saving Susan's life back from the dead, seemingly just for the hell of it before as good as disappearing in a puff of smoke herself! She was surprised by just how fond she'd become of the mischievous teen and had known almost instictively that her young charge wouldn't be sticking around for long: if nothing else, the girl had been worried about exposing Susan and the others to awkward questions and visitations from psi corp. But still...Susan knew that Maggie had *planned* to stay a little longer, until marcus regained consciousness anyway. In the end the girl had left the night Marcus woke up. Susan knew that Maggie was worried about something...Before she left she had entered her mind as she slept and left a message, only parts of which revealed themselves at a time. Someone meant Susan harm. But neither of them knew who, how or why. Susan couldn't help the nagging feeling deep inside her that she was in danger and that someone on thestation wasn't what he seemed... "Susan, this isn't going to help..." Marcus pulled up a stool and seated himself beside her. "Don't start." Her voice sounded flat- she couldn't even manage to sound threatening. She glanced up at him just long enough to note that aside from weightloss, which wasn't surprising given that he'd been eating medlab food for two months, the ranger looked the same as he always had. "Come on, lets get you out of here." He helped her to her feet. She didn't bother to resist and instead allowed herself to be led back to her quarters. "You and maggie were close, weren't you? I'm sure she *meant* to say goodbye, you know." "She did." Susan replied, her tone still tired and lifeless. "She left the mental equivalent of an answerphone message before she left." "I see. I didn't realise you were a telepath until recently...mind you I didn't realise I was until around the same time. I could feel her in my mind when she was here, but I don't remember anything about it." They reached her quarters and leaving Ivanova to sink into the couch, Marcus went into the kitchenette announcing that he was going to make some coffee. She nodded and kicked her shoes off before curling up on the couch and resting her head on the arm. "Okay, hit me with the lecture." She finally sighed, eyes shut. "Now what would be the point in that?" Marcus placed two steaming mugs of coffee on the table and sat down beside her. "Stephen thinks you're drinking too much. Says your blood alcohol levels might affect your medical...Do you want to talk about it?" "Nope. Look, I'm just having some trouble sleeping. That's all. No big deal." "Not sleeping, or having bad dreams?" "Not sleeping." She lied then she sat up, moving her feet aside so that he could sit beside her. He did so. "Do you think she'll come back?" "I'm sure of it." he put a protective arm around her and feeling comforted, she rested her head on his shoulder and let her eyes fall shut once more. In the silence she could hear the gentle rhythm of his heart. "I'm glad you came back." she murmured. He chuckled softly and rested his chin on her head. "How could i not..." "Marcus, d'you ever feel like there's someone else here...I mean, besides the quarter of a million that usually are...Sometimes I feel like I'm being...watched..." "Really?" he moved slightly as her words caught his attention. Noticing the interest in his eyes she retreated slightly, "Ah, it's probably just my telepathy increasing- Maggie said it was getting stronger..." "Hm, yeah. Maybe." Marcus wasn't convinced. "Marcus," "What?" "Can you stay?" she sat up and looked him in the eye. "Sure, I'll sleep on the couch." "That's not what I meant..." She bit her lip, just sober enough to feel slightly nervous, and edged closer, placing a hesitant hand on his cheek. "What?" she edged yet closer, brushing her lips over his. He closed his eyes, responding slowly, then he regained his senses and gently but firmly pushed her away. "Susan, this isn't right." "Marcus, I just..." He pushed her away more forcefully this time and wrenched himself out of the seat. "You thought I'd automatically want to do this because it's you!" His voice rose with anger "How *dare* you. Look, I have enough on my mind without you getting drunk and fawning all over me! " "Marcus," she shook her head in an attempt at getting the vodka-induced fuzziness to leave it. "I *know* how you feel about me, so what's the problem! You've been *waiting* for me for god's sake! And I'm finally giving in. What the hell is wrong with that?" She advanced toward where he stood and slid her arms around his neck. He shrugged her off. "The problem is that I think I made a mistake in saving your life! I don't think you're the same person anymore! Now I suggest you sober up and pray that you don't remember *any* of this in the morning! I'm going." He turned tail and left. Zack was in the stationhouse as usual. His intray still piled high while his out tray remained suspiciously empty: typical. "Hey Sanders," he asked the man that walked in, "There was never this much paperwork when the Chief was still in charge, was there?" "Nope. But that was down to his unique filing methods..." Sanders gestured at the shredder in the corner of the room. The door to the station house opened and Garibaldi sauntered in, hands dug deep in his pockets, his expression that of someone deep in thought. "...And speak of the devil...Howdy chief!" Zack peeked out from behind his paper mountain. "How did you manage to get in here? Security personnel only, you should have a pass, or an escort." "Your people not doin' their jobs! Anyway, I'm not stoppin', I just wanted to know if the rumours about Bester comin' here are true." Garibaldi rocked back and forth on his heels as he spoke. "Er, no, not exactly. He's sending some psi corp military expert in his place- got a real funny name...something or other Gray." "Harriman gray?" Garibaldi raised his eyebrows. "Well there's a turn up...For psi corp Gray's actually quite human. Ivanova'll be relieved. I'll go tell her now..." he turned to go, "Oh and Zack. I'm not the chief anymore, you are!" "Yeah, I know. It's just habit...think of it as a term of endearment.." "He's not coming?" Ivanova was incredulous. "No, he's sending Harriman Gray in his place: remember him?" "Yeah...I don't like it." She drained her tea and started to pace, "Maggie said that they knew I was a latent teep and yet no psi cop has been after me. Bester *has* to be up to something. "Well, he'll be here tommorow so if i were you i'd start getting used to the idea." "Lights." Ivanova sat up in bed and reached for the glass of water at her side. What a weird dream...most of it had faded already leacving only a strange sensation that she was being watched. When marcus had asked her the other day why she was having trouble sleeping she had lied. This was partly because she never remembered these dreams and partly because she didn't feel able to trust anyone enough to tell them. The dreams were increasing in frequency and in intensity until she no longer felt safe...forcing herself to lie back down and try to rest some more, Susan decided to leave her light on. Something she'd not done since she was a child. END OF PART ONE PART TWO WILL FOLLOW SHORTLY. From: nick! Subject: Killing Susan Part Two Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 15:24:16 +0100 (BST) Yes, I know part one was a bit rough around the edges part two should be a slight improvement but I'm having the same problems with it as with the first part: Rebirth and Killing Susan were originally two parts of the same story but since it was getting ridiculously long I decided to cut it. Then after that I decided Maggie's part was too big for an 'instrumental' character and so got rid of her with much less fuss than intended at the end of Rebirth instead of the middle of Killing Susan. *Then* just when things couldn't get more complicated I decided to bring in an old character...just for fun! I tell yers what, since this story's gonna be a bit ropey for a while till I even it out a little, I'll include a brief synopsis of all previous parts until things pick up a little so if its that bad you can skip bits of it. (I'm guessing things will improve around part 3) Okay? Good. Disclaimer: none of the characters belong to me and I'm not making any profit from them, blah blah blah. W A R N I N G S P O I L E R S RE-CAP: MARCUS HAS BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING BY A TELEPATH NAMED MAGGIE WHO THEN STOLE A WHITE STAR AND DISAPPEARED INTO THE SUNSET! IVANOVA IS STILL ON LEAVE FROM EARTHFORCE AND IS EXPECTED TO UNDERGO A MEDICAL CHECK-UP BEFORE RETURNING TO WORK. THE PSI CORP KNOW ABOUT HER STATUS AS A LATENT TELEPATH AND ARE SENDING A MEMBER OF PSI CORP TO THE STATION TO DISCUSS THE MATTER. mARCUS IS MORE OR LESS BACK TO HIS OLD SELF BUT FEELS THAT THERE IS STILL *SOMETHING* WRONG. IVANOVA IS SUFFERING FROM NIGHTMARES THAT SHE CANNOT RECALL IN WAKING AND HAS DONE MORE OR LESS SINCE MAGGIE LEFT.... KILLING SUSAN PART TWO. "Well, well. Mr. Gray, long time no see!" Garibaldi was there to meet the slightlt built man when he arrived, dressed in the somber dark suit and black gloves which formed the uniform of a psi corp military expert. The two men shook hands. "It's good to see you again." Harriman smiled warmly, "I'll be here for several weeks since I'm more or less taking over Ms Alexander's job of psi corp rep here on B5. But, I'm sure Commander Ivanova would rather get our meeting over with as soon as possible..." Gray noticed that the taller man's mind was open and he sensed his worry. "It's really nothing to worry about, I'm not going to drag her back to Earth kicking and screaming." "I don't much like your chances..." Garibaldi sniggered to himself at the thought of such a gentle, softly spoken man trying to drag anyone anywhere, let alone Ivanova... "Well, lets get it over with." "Good morning Commander." Harriman approached Ivanova, hand outstretched and his expression as neutral and open as possible. She shook his hand curtly and the two of them seated themselves. Sheridan introduced himself. "Well, I suppose we should all lay our cards on the table..." Harriman looked from Ivanova to Sheridan a little nervously. "The corp know that you were involved in aiding the escape of a rogue telepath named Magdelaine Samson. They're not terribly surprised given your distrust of the corp...however since the girl is now no doubt relocated to Minbar or somewhere else we cannot reach her, there is little we can do about that." He paid little attention to the uncomfortable glances that passed between his two interviewees and continued, "The real reason I am here has more to do with your latent telepath status. In truth certain members of the corp including Mr. Bester already knew about your ability but have waited until now to decide what to do about it. As a military expert I am more or less representing both the corp and earthforce. Basically, the corp feels that the current...difficulties...between telepaths and normals is due to our segregation and that reversing such a policy might help ease tensions. So, while your telepathy is only latent and of less than a P3 you are not considered a 'risk' to the privacy of those around you and as such you will be allowed to remain withing Earthforce. Your ability will be kept off of your record however for the time being since this is still a rather sensitive issue with many people..." His speech finished, Harriman sat back in his seat and waited for one of his audience to speak. "Well whoopee-do!" Ivanova got to her feet, "What, am I supposed to be grateful for that?" "Unfortunately, yes." Harriman answered her. "Look,maybe you should just try and take it at face value....I don't pretend to know what's going on but they've given you the answer you want- you don't have to join the corp. Look, I can see you've got alot to think through. I'm going to be here for at least two months, so let me know what your decision is and then maybe we can work on a way of keeping your psi ability dormant- without sleepers to prevent any more hassle. Commander, I don't doubt for a moment that Bester is up to something- since his little stunt the last time I was here I have no reson to trust him and nor do you. But it's your only chance...Try not to let your understandable prejudice against bester tarnish your opinion of telepaths and the corp as a whole. We're just ordinary people trying to get on with life as best we can. We don't join the corp through *choice*.Even if you can't bring yourself to trust the corp, I've never given you reason to distrust *me*. While I realise that we may never be *friends* I hope that we'll not be strangers." Nodding his head briefly at Sheridan, Harriman left. "Phew. Well, I don't know what to make of that." Sheridan sighed, looking up at his former E.O who was pacing up and down the room. "I don't like it." She stamped up to one wall and thumped it, then stomped over to it's opposite and kicked it before standing, hands on hips and frowning down at him. Sheridan sank further into his seat, trying to put as much distance between himself and the famous ivanova temper as he could. "We don't have much choice. For now we'll have to trust in what he says.Mr. Gray seems okay though..." he reasoned, glancing up at Susan who having calmed down a little, sat back down, although she remained perched on the edge, her elbows resting on her knees. "Yeah, he is," she sighed and rubbed her hands together before letting them fall into her lap. "He helped Sinclair out of of a difficult situation once and was quite kind to me also...I just worry about the cost of *trusting* Bester." "Well, we're not *trusting* him. We're just going along with what he's said. Face it, you're gonna have to roll with the punches for now. It'll be okay..." he patted her hand reassuringly but she didn't look convinced, "Susan, we do still have an ace in the hole: we've still got his little girlfriend in cryo..." "John, that didn't stop him screwing around with Garibaldi's brain, did it?" "No. it didn't. And that's why we're going to take what he says with a pinch of salt. But lets just wait awhile for the dust to settle and see what happens? Um, Susan, don't yell at me for this but it couldn't do you any harm to rebuild a few bridges with Gray. If he's at all suspicious of Bester he might prove to be a useful ally..." "I know...looks like it's gonna be quite a day for apologies..." "Sorry?" "Oh nothing..." Ivanova left the office and decided as she walked down the corridor that although she knew that she had no reason to distrust Harriman, actually learning to *trust* him was going to take time. Then there was the problem with Marcus...she'd been drunk, she was always doing stupid things when drunk...good excuse...but he could wait...she really wasn't up to apologising to someone so capable of self-righteousness as Marcus Cole right now. It was 3AM when Ivanova awoke screaming from a nightmare: the third in as many days. Still gasping for breath between sobs she hauled herself out of bed and padded into the kitchen to make herself a warm drink. Her hands were still shaking as she picked up the steaming mug of cocoa and milk substitute so she poured it down the sink and reached for the vodka bottle that sat on the shelf beside her, reasoning as she did so that at least that way, her trembling wouldn't cause her to scald herself. Knowing that she'd not be sleeping anymore that night, she lit a few perfumed candles and chose a selection of music to blot out the oppressive silence. This done, she curled up on her couch, glass in hand and worked hard to convince herself and the scowling wolf that circled her quarters that it had only been a dream... Elsewhere on the station Harriman Gray paced up and down in his own quarters, gloves off, breathing in deep lungfuls of air in an attempt at calming the pounding of his heart. How much longer was this going to go on for...? "Morning Susan. You here for your medical?" Franklin was particularly chirpy that day, she thought to herself as she made her way into medlab. "You look like hell." he continued, grinning. "I'm fine." she mumbled, clambering onto the rolling bed he motioned toward, "I'm just not sleeping too well- but I'm sure it's nothing." She added hastily. "Well, even so, I'll have to include it in the report I send to personnel, particularly if it's likely to affect your work." he replied. She pulled a face, "Can't you just give me something?" "No, I can't. Are you having nightmares or what?" She sighed, watching him as he took her blood pressure <> "Yeah, but I never remember them. Look I've always had vivid dreams. It's really no big deal..." <> he thought to himself but said nothing outloud and finished her examination, proclaiming her to be "fine except for fatigue, and cut down on the vodka!" She stormed out as soon as he'd finished. Marcus yawned as he wandered aimlessly through 'down-below'. He'd planned to get straight on with reaquainting himself with the occupants of the more salubrious areas of the station, many of whom were happy and relieved to see their favourite ranger back on his feet. Trouble was, he was exhausted, well, actually he was knackered. Last night he'd been woken by the strangest feeling....he couldn't define it no matter how hard he tried...he'd changed, that much he knew, something was around him and he didn't like the way it felt. Today he was wondering, more than any other day, why he'd been brought back. When he'd 'died' he'd done it for himself- as atonement for his brother's death and for Susan, because he had loved her. Now though he wasn't entirely sure what his feelings for her were... "Marcus?" Lennier's gently concerned voice, from behind where he now stood in one of the least attractive bars, interupted the ranger's thoughts. He turned to see his friend concealed under a dark coloured full length cloak, the hood of which obscured most of his face, save his mouth which was stretched into a neutral and serene half smile. The two bowed formally before seating themselves at a table in the corner. "what can I do for you?" Marcus asked the novice, "Is everything alright?" "Actually, that is what I am here to ask. Delenn is concerned. As am I. You did not attend the last rangers meeting. And you have, of late, kept to yourself more than is typical." Marcus stalled for time by signalling to the bartender who brought two glasses and a pitcher over to them. Lennier hesitated, "It's water." Marcus smiled, "You're right, I have beena little anti-social recently. It's nothing to concern yourself, or Entil'zha with." Lennier raised what would have been an eyebrow- if minbari had them, he wanted further explanation. Marcus took a few tentative sips from his glass "Lennier, d'you think it's *right* that I should have been brought back?" "Right? I do not understand." "I'm not entirely sure I do either...I've never been religious, but I can't help worrying that my being here is...*wrong*" "Marcus, we Minbari do not believe in a god as your people do. Therefore I find it difficult to understand your meaning. But, if it is any comfort to you, right and wrong are subjective opinions...not necessarily natural laws, is that what you are asking, is your presence breaking a natural law?" "I suppose..." "In that case...if you were breaking a natural law, then you would quite simply not be here since it would be impossible. You're having been...*re-energised* by another person without use of the machine that *de-energised* you is certainly unprecedented, but that it is not to say you should not be here. What makes you believe that should not be here Marcus?" "I don't know, I can't explain it. Ever since I came back I've not felt like myself." "That is hardly surprising..." "No, it's more than that. I used to be *in love* with Susan and now...the last time we spoke I had to resist all temptation to punch her!" "Had she done something to upset you?" "Well yes, but it's not the first time she's annoyed me...and I've never lost my temper before." "Marcus, I feel that there is more to this. I cannot truly help you if I am not fully aware of the facts." Lennier looked at Marcus, his eyes searching. "Okay...I've felt something...on the station. It wasn't here before I 'died' but its here now. I can feel it all around me, watching, listening, following...it's like I'm never alone...I'm worried that this..whatever it is might try to harm someone here." "That 'someone' being the commander, yes?" "Lennier, I'm scared. My getting angry with Susan has only made that worse...I was so angry with her I had to leave, I thought I might do something stupid...And I am *so* tired all the time..." Lennier looked sadly at his distraught friend, trying all the while to cover his own concerns for him...Delenn had asked her former aid to watch over the ranger. Although the Minbari did not believe in the same view of the universe as most humans still did, they did believe in the existance of a soul and Delenn was worried that when Marcus 'died' his soul had indeed left his body. If that were so then it was possible that he had undergone some change... Lennier decided to inform Entil'zha of their conversations and of his concerns. He worried that Delenn's musing were right...if they were... Harriman Gray was in the garden when Ivanova arrived there searching for someone she knew to talk to et. He sat on on of the benches, staring into space, an open copy of 'Universe Today' on his lap. He was dressed as usual in a dark suit, pinned at the lapel with a psi corp badge but he'd removed his gloves which were placed neatly beside him. He looked tired and Ivanova thought for a moment, lonely. Since there was no one else around and she'd not spoken to him since their meeting the other day, she strode purposefully over to where he sat and stood, in 'at ease' stance, hands clasped behind her back, just inside his field of vision. He looked up, startled for a moment, then on recognising her, he smiled warmly and offered her a seat, moving aside slightly to give her more room. "Won't you get into trouble for not wearing your gloves?" she smirked, "Only if someone tells." he shot back, then became a little more serious, "Would you prefer it if I put them back on?" he enquired, looking straight at her. She shook her head, "Good. It's a little too warm for them...I always take them off whenever possible- most telepaths do. Well Commander, you look how I feel." His gaze didn't leave her. "I've...had trouble sleeping..." She found herself confiding. "Bad dreams?" she nodded, "Mm, things have been a little hectic for you of late...perhaps it's not surprising...Do you remember any of your dreams?" "No. And that's strange, usually I do, But these past few weeks all I've been able to recall is the sense I'm being watched...stalked even" She shivered a little. "Creepy, Rather you than me." He answered, "I have an appointment right now but if you *do* need to talk, you know where I am..." H eplaced his still ungloved hand on hers. She felt comforted, he'd let his guard down a little- she could feel his concern and compassion for her. In retuen she smiled and placed her free hand over his and squeezed it gently, "thankyou" "What for?" "For not being Bester." "Well, thank you for realising that I'm *not* Bester!" END OF PART TWO. PART THREE SHOULD FOLLOW SOON. From: nick! Subject: Story submission: Killing Susan Part three of five(?) Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 15:55:56 +0100 (BST) Righty-ho, part three. It really is *much* too hot to be sat in front of a computer screen but, ah well, it beats revising.... For disclaimers see previous parts... Recap: Marcus is alive! Harriman Gray is back on B5 and Ivanova's having nightmares. S P O I L E R S M A Y F O L L O W KILLING SUSAN PART THREE Lennier listened carefully to the words of his former mentor, trying to keep the worry from his face. Delenn was pacing up and down her quarters, her hands gesturing wildly as she explained and re-explained the stories she had heard as a child, "The idea that Marcus might have been returned to us without a...without a *soul* is unthinkable I know, but in spite of this we should prepare ourselves for the possiblility that such a tragedy has occured. We should also prepare ourselves for the possibility that this has *not* occured. We must not limit ourselves to only one explanation when there may be infinite others." She ceased with her pacing on this more positive note and turned to smile down at the novice. "Do you think that Marcus' concerns should worry us?" "I simply do not know...However, that Marcus is *himself* worried may be a good sign. Have you spoken with him more recently?" "No. But I plan to." Lennier got to his feet and was escorted to the door by Delenn. "Well, in that case, watch him closely but remember that he is still your friend." When later on Lennier found Marcus again, he tried his best to keep Delenn's words clear in his mind. Delenn had been right: whether Marcus was himself entirely or not, he still needed his friends around him. On spying his troubled friend, Lennier approached him seating himself in a vacant chair opposite him. They were back in the same bar they had met in two days ago and marcus looked in an even worse state than he had been then. This time the drink before him was something a little more potent than water: Lennier cautiously raised the glass to sniff it's contents- whiskey- he recognised it's scent froma bottle that Vir kept in his quarters for difficult meetings with Londo. Further to this Lennier noticed that his friend looked even more 'knackered' than he had two days ago. "You are still having difficulty sleeping?" he probed, leaning forward over the table so that his companion could not avoid his scrutiny. "No Lennier. No I'm not." Marcus looked up at his friend and with his limp hair half covering his face, his features took on a dark, almost sinister appearance. Lennier covered his shock as best he could and managed not to flinch away. "It's still here...I can feel it- watching, following...hating..." His voice sounded detached and almost lyrical with barely disguised hysteria. "In the past day it's gotten stronger, closer..." "Marcus... have you spoken to Dr. Franklin about this...?" "About what? About the fact that I've lost my mind?" Marcus' laugh was coarse and rasping, Lennier closed his eyes briefly against it. "I don't know why it's here; what it's intentions are...I just know that it wants to do harm." Marcus' voice was suddenly beseeching and Lennier felt for the first time that maybe there was hope for his friend. Ivanova was finishing up her drink when Harriman entered Earhearts. Garibaldi was eyeing her suspiciously as he sipped at his orange juice. "Susan, I decided to stay off the rocket fuel the moment I started knockin' em back the way you do..." Ivanova scowled back at him and then softened a little. "Michael, I'm okay..." "Sure you are..." he murmured, grinning slightly to let his friend know he wasn't going to start lecturing her as both Franklin and Sheridan had done already. "Hey, have you heard from Marcus? the doc reckons he's been acting a little funny recently." "No I haven't. And *Doctor* Franklin seems to think alot of people are acting funny...!" Susan repied, smiling sardonically. Then she thought to herself that she'd not seen the ranger since that ill-fated evening in her quarters...could that be it? Even in her drunken state she'd found his reaction to her advances a little...worrying. In hindsight her thoughts on the matter were conflicting to say the least: she had known deep down that he would reject her- taking advantage of drunken women was hardly his style...and in a way she was relieved that he *had* rejected her. But on the other hand, she had never seen anyone look the way he had when he'd wrenched himself out of her arms- 'barely contained rage' was a pretty good way to describe it...for some reason she felt that had she argued with him he might have completely forgotten that she was the woman he'd 'died' to save and that he was in love with and done her some serious harm! "Susan, Babylon control to planet Susan..." Garibaldi waved a beermat in front of her face to attract her attention and then when that failed chucked the thing at her. The missile hit her on the nose and she almost leapt out of her seat with a level of shock disproportional to something so trivial, or so Garibaldi thought. "Hey, you okay? You look like you've seen the candy man!" "Oh god, sorry. I was miles away..." she nervously shrugged off his concern. "Who the hell is the candyman?" she frowned, subtly changing the subject. "It's a vid I saw when I was a kid. My mom caught me an' some buddies watchin' horror movies once and told me that if I was gonna insist on watchin' that crap, I might as well see a *good* one. So she sat me down one afternoon to watch this old vid with her- I mean it was made in the twentieth century for god's sake! I tell ya, the oldies are the scariest. I still get nightmares now! I could lend it to you if you like.." "Oh no, my brain is currently the nightmare capital of the world as it is." She laughed. Garibladi saw his way in and was about to ask her about them when Harriman appeared at the table, mineral water in hand. "Would you mind if I joined you?" The two smiled and shook their heads, no they didn't mind and he sat down, sighing a little tiredly as he did so. He'd been on his feet all day, dealing with a trade agreement between the narns and the centauri. "Susan was just about to tell her uncle Mike about the nightmares that keep her grouchy and drunk all day..." Garibaldi teased, leaning back in his chair to fold his arms accross his chest. Susan rolled her eyes heavenward. "You're still having trouble? I thought they might have eased up by now..." Harriman's voice raised a little with his obvious concern. Ivanova groaned, "So did I, but they're still going strong." Garibaldi noticed how his friend's demeaner softened when she spoke to the telepath and so he decided to leave, <> He inwardly chuckled and made his excuses. Then, spying Stephen and Zack he moved to join them. The two telepaths barely noticed him leave, sat huddled as they were in their booth, heads bowed and voices low like whispering children planning a prank, or, as Garibaldi suspected, two individuals at that fascinating 'not-quite-friends-but-almost -lovers' stage. "What is that you're drinking?" Ivanova eyed her new companion's glass. "It's lemonade." He replied sheepishly,adding, "I'm not much of a drinker...And tommorow I have to continue with the narn-centauri negotiations which I *have* to have a clear head for. Those two races could make hating an olympic sport!" She nodded her agreement. "So, tell me about these dreams...did you notice that *seamless* movement into a new, more troubling topic...?" She found herself laughing for the first time that evening. Then she became serious once more, "There's no change. I still don't remember anything. Just the feeling I'm in danger, and that's it." "Actually, since I arrived here I *have* noticed something... I didn't want to say anything earlier...It's nothing concrete, just a *presence*. I can't put my finger on it." "Well, that's probably not much use, but it's nice to know it's not just me..." "If I find out any more, I'll let you know. There is something else also...it's not related to your dreams, as far as I know..." "Oh?" Susan, took a sip from her drink, "The girl you helped here..." "Uh uh, don't ask me, I won't tell." she said resolutely, placing her glass firmly on the table in front of her. "No, I know that. No, *I* have some information for *you*. You see I knew Maggie- her real name was Magdelin. She was only a littlegirl when I was training at the same psi corp facility as her on Mars. I didn't know what exactly they were doing to that particular group of telepaths- they were all children...I, along with some others had volunteered to help care for them- comforting them, reading them stories...whatever. None of them seemed to have parents... One night after they'd beenm experimenting on her, they brought her back into her room and tucked her up in bed, like normal. I tried to scan her, to check she was okay, and I couldn't pick *anything* up. No thoughts, nothing- she was braindead. The next morning she was gone. There was a rumour going around that one of the janitors had abducted her- hid her in a supplies cart an' just wheeled it out of the place. If that's true then he must have been able to block scans like nobodies business. During the civil war on earth the only nontelepaths who were found to be able to resist scans were those 'rangers' you fought alongside..." "You're saying she was rescued by a ranger?" "Maybe..." Garibaldi kept glancing over at Ivanova's table from time to time as Zack bored the rest of his companions with yet another story about the amount of paperwork he had to deal with. Franklin noticed. "You really thinks there's something goin' on there?" He didn't look or sound convinced. "I think so..." Garibaldi turned back to his own table and hunched forward to speak to the doctor. "Oops. No wonder Marcus has been out of sorts. It didn't take *her* long to get over her guilt and move on to pastures new..." Franklin said thoughtfully, strerching his little finger into his glass to fish out the 'something' that was floating on the top- fluff- in the dry recycled air that filled the station, finding dust, fluff and other nonsense in one's drink, food wherever was a common complaint. "I didn't ralise that *Marcus* counted as pastures *old*" Michael replied, frowning slightly- had he missed something? "No, I just thought the two of them had *unfinished business* between them, thats all." "Well, she has *unfinished business* with Gray as well...and that's been goin' on since *long* before Marcus' time" "Thats true. Oh, hey, speak of the devil..." Franklin nodded subtly over Michael's shoulder, at where Marcus appeared through the open door. The two of them ceased their discussion abruptly and tried not to look *too* much like guilty teenagers caught smoking. They needn't have worried, Marcus was too self absorbed to notice. he slouched his way over to their table and almost fell into an empty seat. "You look like hell. Again."Franklin noted, studying the ranger's drawn features, "Yes, well, I just got back, actually." He sighed, some of the 'old Marcus' sense of humour forcing it's way to the fore. "It's quite lovely this time of year!" "Does your self imposed exile have anything to do with those two?" Garibaldi decided to ignore the charms of tact and diplomacy and went straight for the juggular. Franklin winced, he'd wanted to approach the subject a little more carefully. Marcus glanced over at Ivanova-and-friend and then turned back to the table, "Nope." he replied Franklin and Garibaldi exchanged surprised glances, what was going on...? Marcus finally noticed the confused expressions his companions wore, "What she does is really none of my business." he stated firmly." "Yeah, but Marcus,what you did for her, I thought-" Franklin's confusion was increasing by the nanosecond. "What can I say, we all make mistakes..." Marcus rose to his feet signalling that the discussion had drawn to a close. Garibaldi and Stephen watched Marcus' retreating figure, "That is *not* Marcus." Stephen stated flatly, "Not *our* Marcus anyway." Garibaldi muttered. Marcus reached his quarters and fell onto his couch, exhausted. He wanted so much to sleep but *it* wouldn't let him. Right now though, he couldn't feel it. Maybe he could snatch a few hours before it made it'spresence known again. It usually came out at night...so he tried to sleep through the day, but he was so wound up that he couldn't. Marcus shut his eyes tight and tried to ignore the pounding of his heart. It was 4.30 am and Ivanova was wide awake, sitting up in bed, head cradled in her hands. THe lights were switched on low, out of quickly-reformed habit. She was *so* tired but these terrible dreams were a strong deterrant from sleeping. She still remembered few details, just the feeling she was being stalked. Even during her waking hours there was little reprieve from the sickening feeling that she was not alone. She considered contacting Harriman on babcom- but no, it was late, he'd be asleep, even if he had said to call him if she needed to whatever the time. Marcus' eyes snapped open and he lay for a brief moment blinking down at the floor from where he lay, sprawled out on his belly on his couch. It had been back, prowling around the station, inside the minds and the dreams of it's occupants. Marcus was beginning to know what it's operative was now....It was still pestering Susan...he'd seen inside her sleeping mind, seen her panic as she tried to escape. He'd not beenstrong enough to hold on though and he now found himself back in his own room, in his own body, in the waking world. He got to his feet. He knew he should check on her...he didn't know if it had managed what it had set out to yet. Ivanova's thoughts were disturbed by the doorchime- strange at this time of night. She calmbered out of bed,pulling on her gown and picking up the glass of vodka that sat on her bedside table. "Come in" She seated herself on the couch to greet her visitor- more proper than sitting up in bed. "Marcus?" her jaw dropped open in surprise. "Correct." he managed a smile, hiding all the while his own surprise that she seemed to be okay. Then he noticed the vodka bottle on the table in front of her which she reached for, simultaneously draining her glass. "It's four thirty in the morning: what do you want?" She didn't bother trying to hide her displeasure. "I um...this is difficult. I *felt* you were in danger." he struggled to find the words, "what's going on?" "Nothing." she replied defensively, tipping the remaining liquid down her throat before reaching again for the bottle. "I'm just losing my mind, thats all." "Is that helping?" he took the bottle from her hand and replaced it's lid, then walked over to an open cupboard and put it away, shutting the cupboard door with a click. "Mind your own business." Ivanova gurgled, pushing past him to retrieve the bottle. She undid the capand after vainly searching for her glass, resorted to swigging straight from the bottle. This done, she hugged the bottle to her like a cuddly toy and returned to her seat. "Are you drinking to stay awake, or get to sleep?" he stared down at her, his expression one of frustration, "Door's that way." she pointed then caught his expression and instantly misinterpreted it. "Marcus, why don't you go and find some nice little ranger girl and have nice little ranger babies and leave me alone!"She slammed the bottle down on the table, "I am sick of your mooning about like some lovesick teenager. I neither want nor require your ...attentions.Like I said, door's there: use it." "Fine" he turned on his heel and stormed out, then stopped about half way down the corridor. It was coming back again. Breathing ragged and heart racing Marcus ran to his quarters, staggering as he felt himself begin to leave his body. "Suan,walk with me." Sheridan called out as he passed her in the corridor the following afternoon. Wordlessly she complied, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. "You look like hell. Stephen tells me you're not sleeping...." They rounded the corner and entered a lift. "No, but I'm sure it's nothing." She had one of theose yawns on the way that was going to stick in her lungs and half suffocate her for ages...She concentrated on trying to fill her lungs with air while listening to what her former CO was saying to her. Strangely though his voice was becomming more and more distant... ********************************************************************** She was in her parents' house: the fire in the living room was out and the air was chilly. Wrapping her arms around herself for warmth she padded through the darkness toward the conservatory at the back of the building. Outside, the back garden was in darkness: a storm was blowing; branches from the surrounding trees beat down on the glass roof and windows and the only light came from the intermittant lightning. Sophia Ivanova sat in her favourite chair- the one in which she had nursed both of her children, and roked slowly, rhythmically, back and forth. Her chin was dug into her chest and her long, brown hair covered her face. She was mumbling something over and over that Susan could not quite hear. "Mam." Susan found herself slowly approaching the older woman, kneeling before her. She was vaguely aware of someone else entering the room behind her. Glancing over her shoulder she saw the familiar silhouette of her father. To her left another figure emerged silently from the shadows- Ganya. "We're all here for you Suzutchka..." her brother's voice was soft, echoing slightly in the near-empty room. "We've come for you little one..." her father's voice sounded both in Susan's ears and inside her heart as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "The corp is mother, the corp is father, Suzutchka" Sophia's head snapped up to look her daughter straight in the face. "Only one way..." her eyes were black. "The corp is mother, the corp is father," her father and brother joined in the whipered chant. Susan froze- paralysed with a mixture of fear and confusion. "The corp is mother," she felt hands slide around her throat, "the corp is father." slowly bu without hesitation, those hands began to tighten. *********************************************************************** End of part three. Part four will follow: with paragraphs! (If i remember...) nick xxx From: nick! Subject: Killing Susan Part Four of Five(?) Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 17:33:45 +0100 (BST) okay, part four: Marcus is still crabby, Ivanova's having nasty dreams, Harriman G is still on board and seems to be getting a bit cosy with Ivanova and I've still not learned the fine art of punctuation! Ta v. much for all the nice emails i've had from you...i dread to think what passes for *bad* fanfic if you think this one's *good*. Still, I'm working on another one that follows on from this which i *am* quite pleased with....it should be with you a day or two after the final part of this *monster* gets to you all. Disclaimers in previous part KILLING SUSAN PART FOUR In his quarters, Marcus frowned deeply in concentration, his eyes closed tight. <>. In the office assigned to him by psi corp, Harriman Gray sat at his desk, gloveless hands pressed palms-down in front of him, that same expression of total and all-encompassing concentration on his own face. In the dimly-lit tunnels of 'down-below' where a colony of telepaths hid from psi corp, Lyta Alexander sat giggling girlishly as she spoonfed noodles to Byron- the telepaths' leader. Suddenly she froze, hit with sudden panic- she couldn't breathe...The expression on her companion's face told her that he was experiencing the same panic. Pulling herself together mentally she realised that the suffocating feeling was not a physical one. Nor was it emanating from the minds of anyone nearby. Working hard to calm her mind Lyta reached out through the station to find the origin of such a terrible sensation... <>. When Lyta and Byron reached the lift they found Ivanova lying in a crumpled heap on the floor, her eyes shut and her lips bluish. <> her eyes flew open and she gasped for breath, clutching at her throat. She forced herself into a sitting position, held up by Byron who cupped her face in his hands. Her eyes were wide with terror. "Commander, can you hear me?" he shook her gently to be sure that she was truly awake and then noticed, for the first time, a shocked looking John Sheridan. "What the hell happened?" Byron rose to his feet, leaving Susan slumped under Lyta's watchful eye. "I don't know, i was talking to her and she just keeled over, I couldn't wake her- I think she fell *asleep*" Franklin arrived with 2 med-techs and a rolling bed in tow. Ivanova was starting to hyperventilate at this point and was fidgeting around frantically as she tried desperately to speak. Her pain, terror and confustion filled Lyta's mind:she was projecting her feelings in all directions. Lyta closed a protective arm around her shoulders, "Don't try to talk," she instructed her gently and, trying her best to blot out the confusion around them, concentrated on calming the distraught commander's mind. <>Lyta felt the woman begin to grow quieter, comforted by her thoughts. Then she and Byron helped her onto the rolling bed. Feeling her panic rising once more, Lyta kept hold of one of her hands as a med-tech placed an oxygen mask over her face and the group hurried through the corridor to medlab. "Alright: If you're not a patient or medlab staff, I want you out." Franklin shouted to make himself heard. "Byron, I don't see you wearing surgical scrubs- go. We'' take care of her." Ivanova shook her head frantically, grabbing at the oxygen mask, <> Franklin moved to sedate her. "Bad idea, Doctor," Byron stepped forward, his voice even but his expression adamant, and placed himself between doctor and patient. "She's hysterical: it's for the best." <> Susan grabbed at Lyta's hand, "Stephen, I can't let you do this." she told the doctor, understanding finally dawning in hers and Byron's minds. "Okay, have it your way...Security." three armed guards entered, followed by Garibaldi and Zack. Lyta and Byron exchanged glances and as the two of them were pulled aside, Lyta sent a telepathic message to the other telepaths in the colony. While Byron and Lyta vainly fought off the guards, Garibaldi advanced toward the rolling bed upon which Ivanova was struggling to free herself of medstaff and medical tubes, wires and other restraints. Grabbing his ppg she scrambled off the bed, pointing it all the while at anyone who came anywhere near her. "You're killing me!" she screamed, the hysteria in her voice reaching record levels. "Susan, we want to help, but you gotta let us get to you..." Franklin edged closer, a syringe in his hand, "This is just to calm you down..." She couldn't take her eyes off the syringe as Franklin and Garibaldi steadily advanced, the latter moving to one side, intercepting her.He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to the floor, essentially restraining her with a hug. "Easy Susan, easy..." he gently rocked her back and forth in his arms. In the background byron struggled under the security guards, he could feel her weakening as Franklin stuck the needle in her shoulder. As she went limp in Garibaldi's arms, Lyta felt her scream in her mind, <> "I hope we're doing the right thing." Garibaldi looked up at Franklin. The guards, realising that the two telepaths were no longer struggling loosened their grip enough to take them out of medlab, toward the cells to cool off. between them Garibaldi and Franklin lifted an unconscious Ivanova into one of the beds, "What the hell happened?" Garibaldi wiped the beads of perspiration from his brow as his friend checked Susan's pulse and vital signs- he was frowning. "I don't know..." Suddenly Ivanova started bucking against the bed, her hands grasping at Garibaldi. Her eyes were still shut and her back arched against the bed, the veins in her neck standing out. To her lfet the heart monitor was going mad. "Ah hell, she's having some sort of seizure...heart rhythm and brain waves are all over the place..." In the corridor, the guards were stopped in their tracks by the appearance of 12 individuals dressed in the sombre, dark clothes typically worn by Byron's group of telepaths. Zack cursed inwardly as they backtracked and re-entered the medical facility. Byron didn't seem particularly surprised to see Ivanova in the state she was in, "Doctor, this happened the moment you put her to sleep. I suggest you bring her out of it." he said evenly, the other telepaths moving to stand behind him as further clarification of the point he was making. The look on Garibaldi's face told Franklin to comply and he hurried to do so. In her own little world, Susan found that the man standing menacingly over her, a sick smile stretched accross his features disappeared. Moments later Ivanova's eyes fluttered open, to the relief of all onlookers. "Would someone like to tell me what the hell is going on?" Franklin groaned his oft-repeated mantra at the group and received in reply a roomful of blank expressions. Only Susan Lyta and Byron wore the look of someone who knew what was going on- and didn't much like it. "Don't let her sleep." Byron stated simply. "You cannot sedate her. *We* won't let you" he added, gesturing at his fellow colonists who all turned to stare blankly at the doctor. "As a telepath she is under our protection." Then her turned to Susan, and reached out gently into her mind, <> Even though she knew he was trying to help, Susan couldn't help but shrink away from him. Noticing this he left. Two of the telepaths remained to watch over her. Sheridan, Delenn,Garibaldi and Marcus (whom Garibaldi had run into on the way to Sheridan's office) sat in nervous silence for a while before Sheridan at last, spoke. "We all know why we're here, right?" the others all murmured in agreement. "I don't know what happened to Susan, but we'll get to the bottom of it, I know we will." "Byron and Lyta are on their way," Delenn returned from speaking to one of the security guards at the door, and sat back down next to her husband. Marcus remained silent, his face almost guilty, Delenn thought. Then she chided herself: its was wrong of her to jump to conclusions. Folding her hands in her lap, Delenn went over the converstion she and Lennier had had with Byron after Susan's 'turn'. Delenn had had relatively little to do with the telepaths' chosen leader since the colony arrived on the station but she admitted to herself that she had found his presence a somewhat commanding one. He felt he knew what was going on with Susan, and since his explanation had been calmly presented and without unneccessary hysterics, she had listened carefully to what he had said. His words hadn't made happy listening! She and Lennier had exchanged fearful looks during the brief interview: everything Byron was saying had tied in with their own fears... Ivanova's arrival, flanked by Lyta and Franklin brought the room to attention. All noticed that the commander was pale and still shaky, leaning on Franklin's arm for support. He helpeed her into a chair and pulled one up close beside her, not letting go of her hand throughout this. Ivanova seemed to be content to hang on to the doctor, and Lyta, as if for dear life. Delenn glanced briefly at Marcus in attempt at gauging his reaction. He looked stunned at the commander's pitiful condition. Perhaps she had been erroneous in her judgement... she was sure Marcus would never harm Susan...All attentions finally fell upon Lyta who apologised for Byron's absence, mentioning his need to be with his friends once more in 'down below' "So Lyta, what the hell is going on?" Sheridan's voice came out a little gruffer than he would have liked. He reached across and gently patted Susan on the hand, his own expression, like that of a concerned father. Lyta took a deep breath: this was going to be difficult to explain. "What Byron and I heard when we were in 'down below' earlier was Susan's voice crying out for help- telepathically. The nightmare she was experiencing was very intense...so much so that in her state as an untrained telepath- latent or otherwise, the nightmare was essentially being broadcast to all telepaths within spitting distance! There was an unusual 'presence' in your dream- an outsider." Noticing the baffled looks she was receiving from the others in the room- except Marcus who refused to meet anyone's gaze, Lyta paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "Alot of people have mentioned feeling a presence on board Babylon 5. Marcus, you've expressed a concern, as have you Delenn. In the colony, we'have also experienced that feeling. I don't know exactly who or what it is, but *someone* is entering your dreams, Susan. Now I think we've seen the effect...I think it would be safe to assume that this *thing* is a threat to you." "Okay..." Sheridan sat back, his hand still covering that of his former commander. "So what does that mean? Is it a person we're looking for, or what?" Delenn spoke up softly, as she rose to her feet and moved to stand near Susan and her husband. "Since this began I have had Lennier 'investigating' all of the possiblities. He is still gathering information to that end. But it would seem, from what we know so far, thatthere are two broad possibilities: one- that the creature responsible is naturally occuring, a human or other alien telepath with the ability to enter a person's dreams. Or, two- that the culprit is not naturally occuring..." Garibaldi was getting to his feet, an expression of confusion and irritaion crossing his features, "Oh man...Okay, the first one is possble, maybe. Right?" He adressed his question at Lyta who nodded. "The second part...no offense Ambassador but I don't buy it! I take it that by 'not naturally occuring' you mean supernatural- like a ghost!" his expression said it all. Delenn merely smiled and bowed her head to show that she was *not* offended. Ivanova found her voice, "Look Michael. I realise that this all sound like a bunch of huey to you but I *felt* my own father try to strangle me! My throat is still sore even now! That is *not* normal! I don't know *who* or *what* is doing this and I don't much care. I just want them *stopped*!" Her fighting words finally out, she let Sheridan encase her in his arms, shielding her from prying eyes as the first sobs racked her body. Franklin moved aside to let Sheridan sit next to his former EO. "Alright, so whadda we got," Garibaldi dragged everyone's attention away from the sound of Susan's crying. "This *individual* seems capable of disguising him- or herself as other people in Susan's life- since Susan's father died several years ago and I don't think he's likely to do anything like that..." "I will be meeting with Lennier later on to discuss his latest findings." Delenn informed the group. "Hm, I have some avenues open to me as well..." Lyta added thoughtfully, "Michael, I may need your help." "You got it. Hey, I just had a thought. If it's a human that's doin' this, maybe Harriman Gray can help..." "That's true. Psi corp are always coming up with new things and he's closer to them than I am. Maybe he can give us some clues." Garibaldi left to find the psi corp representaive and when he returned with the other man in tow, found the scene almost exactly the same as when he had left. Harriman frowned anxiously as he moved over to Ivanova and knealt down before her, lifting her eyes to meet his by placing a finger uner her chin. His hands were glove-free. <> Instinct took over and he gently probed into her mind- she didn't try to block him. <> he saw it all and flinched, "My god, what have they done to you?" Marcus looked on from the other side of the room, jealousy hitting the pit of his stomach. From where he stood he could feel all final traces of anguish melt away as soon as Susan laid eyes on Gray. <> Harriman spoke the words outloud and into her mind, resting his forehead against hers. "Mr Gray. Are psi corp doing any 'experiments' at the moment?" Sheridan asked, moving to stand beside his wife. "The corp is *always* looking for new ways to advance it's cause." Gray didn't even look up. "But, if it's any use to you. I can't think of any research ever done into the entering of a person's dreams...I guess, thinking about it, its *possible*." "Some Rangers and members of the warrior and religious castes can effectively 'leave' their bodies...would that make someone able to enter the dreams of another individual?" Delenn asked. Gray looked thoughtful, "Yes, maybe." He glanced up at the minbari woman who turned slowly away, deep in thought. "What now?" Susan's voice was so quiet that the others barely heard her. And when they did, they didn't really have an answer to give her. "I can keep pumping you full of drugs to keep you awake...For now anyway." Franklin replied. G'kar was intrigued by the questions being thrown at him by the Minbari ambassador's aide. being asked about mystical beliefs and magical happenings made a nice change from the usual questions he received from such people. Fascinated by the topic, the narn leant forward on his seat, a frown of concentration creasing his features. "Our beliefs about what the humans refer to as 'souls' are not disimilar from theirs." he began. "There are several folk-tales about people who when brought back to life after having travelled *too far* from it being altered, usually for the worse...However, stories are only that. We cannot consider them as providing 'evidence'." He sat back a little, "I take it your questions have to do with Marcus?" Here Lennier nodded in answer and G'kar continued. "Then I shall say this: Marcus is someone whom I consider to be a friend and no matter how his brief 'death' might have altered him- his views, perceptions, responses, I cannot imagine that he would commit any act to harm his *beloved* commander." "This is what I also hope, in my heart to be true. I am simply following all avenues of enquiry. Marcus has himself told me that he feels a presence- an evil one around him." "It may be possible that he has brought *something* back with him..." G'kar considered. Lennier thanked the ambassador for his time and then left to rejoin Delenn in her quarters. Meanwhile Lyta and Garibaldi sat hunched over Zack's desk in the station house, speaking urgently in hushed voices. "I've sent a message to some contacts on Mars for that information you wanted." Garibaldi said, rubbing at his eyes which were sore with stress and tiredness. "Do you really think it's possible?" "Why not. It has before." "Yeah but you don't think psi corp'd be *stupid* enough to pull a *stunt* like that *again* do you?" "Michael, I just want to check out all the possibilities. How long before you hear back from them?" "Coupla days... We're gonna have to think of a way of stopping *it* from hurting her again." "I know. Byron's working that part out now. The only idea he's had so far is one of the telepaths meditate until they leave their body and then enter Susan's sleeping mind to act as some kind of telepathic 'bodyguard'!" "Sounds like science fiction to me!" "I know, but it may be all we have." "I take it he has a specific person in mind..." "Hm...it can't be him- Susan doesn't know or trust him so there's no way she'll let him do it...Harriman's quite a strong telepath and she *does* trust him..." Marcus sat in the observatory, knees to his chest and stared up at the stars above him. He knew what it was now...knew what it wanted...He knew he was safe from it right now: all the while Susan stayed awake, he was free of the evils and horrors it brought with him. There was no one he could tell, and no one he could trust. He decided to return to his quarters to rest while he still had the chance. "So, what have we decided?" sheridan smacked his hands together with an enthusiasm he did not feel. Lyta and Delenn exchanged glances and the Harriman who sat on the couch beside Susan, spoke up. "I'm going to *try* and enter Susan's mind while she's sleeping, and find a way of protecting her from the...whatever it is." He half-smiled, it was *so* absurd-sounding! Lyta stepped forward to explain further: "Our dreams are very different to our waking thoughts: they use far more symbolism and are thus difficult to navigate through. Our dreams are our current fears, hopes, dreams, whatever, made *real*. In other words, if you feels powerless for some reason in your waking life, that will be translated in your dreams. Susan *is* being made to feel frightened, powerless and weak in her dreams by this creature in a way she is unlikely to in the waking world. This 'stalker' can use that against her. Also, the imagery and make up of a dream is determined by the dreamer's own unique symbolism and as so the dream is real to the dreamer. It may not be so real to an observer who may be able to manipulate the dream to his or her own ends. That's possibly how the 'stalker' is disguising himself as aspects of or people in Susan's dreams. Also, since the dream is real to the dreamer, what the dream says, goes! If in her dream Susan is being strangled then, very possibly her body reacts to that expectation and will cease to function because the brain is telling it to stop, because it is dead!" Sheridan looked like he wished he hadn't asked. He turned to Garibaldi who was hovering by the bookshelf, "What's your input to all of this?" "Well, since we can't find any *evidence* that this is the doing of a sentient person, I'm working from the premise that the person who is doing this is on board Babylon 5 and that while they're doing this...'stalking' they're pretty much a sitting duck. While Harriman's with Susan, Lyta and some of our other telepathic friends will be helping us to pinpoint where exactly the perpetrator is." Sheridan nodded and Delenn opened her mouth to speak, "Lennier and I are still looking into the other possibility..." she said. "Why?" Garibaldi tried to hide his disbelief, and failed miserably "Because, Michael, an individual here has himself voiced the concern that there may be a dark force at work here." she answered evenly. "You mean Marcus?" Susan clarified from where she was reclined against Harriman's chest. Delenn nodded solemnly in reply."You think he's been doing this?" her eyes became wide in their sockets. "Perhaps not intentionally. He would *never* try to *hurt* you, Susan." Ivanova's mind raced back to their argument what seemed a million years ago: the cold, angry stare he'd given her, his telling her that he thought he had been *wrong* in saving her life...He wouldn't, he couldn't, could he? "I'm sure it's nothing like that." Harriman squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I don't know the man like all of you do, but i've not detected any malice in his manner...especially not directed at *you*" "I'm still not too sure about this..." "Well look, have a think about it." Harriman smiled, "But if you want to be alone, you might want to stay *mobile*!" They all left her quarters one by one. Gray was the last to leave."I'm sure it's not Marcus. It 's probably no one you actually *know*. Try not to worry. When you've decided, I'll be in my office. Don't forget,stay mobile!" An hour later Susan had to wrench herself out a fast advancing doze: she could feel her eyelids growing heavier and waves of exhaustion washing over her- the drugs Franklin had given her were wearing off. She leapt to her feet and left her quarters to walk about a little: <> In no time she had reached one of the transport tube stations and wearily she climbed into one of the carriages on a transport headed for gray's office. Although the train wasn't particularly crowded and there were plenty of seats, she decided to stand: if she was tired enough to fall asleep whilst in conversation with her former CO then she really couldn't trust herself to sit down. At the other end of her carriage stood Franklin. Spying her, her moved up to where she stood, hanging on to one of the handrails. "Hi,"she smiled wearily at him, "I don't trust myself to sit down..." "I can give you another shot if you want..." "No, it's okay. I'm gonna go with Lyta and Co.s plan: I'm just off to break the good news to my new 'bodyguard'!" He grinned back and nodded. Suddenly the carriage was plunged into semidarkness- one of the lights above ahd failed. Unconcerned, she glanced up, expecting the emergency lights to take over- they didn't. "That's odd..." she looked back at the doctor who suddenly grabbed her to him, twisting her arm behind her back. It was then that she noticed that the other occupants of her carriage allsat, motionless- staring straight ahead, unblinking: this wasn't real. "I'm gonna get you Susan Ivanova." Franklin snarled, twisting her arm tighter- why couldn't she fight him...? She felt weak,rooted to the spot, as if all the life had been drained out of her...completely helpless as her friend became her attacker. End of Part Four. Part five will follow, but i lied about there being 5 parts, there's gonna have to be six as otherwise part 5 will be ridiculously long. And besides i have one more really *nasty* cliff-hanger for yers! TTFN, nick xxxx From: nick! Subject: KILLING SUSAN PART FIVE OF SIX Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 17:54:48 +0100 (BST) Right, as I said, there are now six parts to this monster and then it *should* be done! Thanks for your patience! Disclaimer's in the previous parts! No sex, minimal violence, minimal bad language. Enjoy! Killing Susan Part Five "Commander?" Lennier's voice rippled through her mind and she was wrenched out of her nightmare to find him shaking her, "Wake up Commander." "Oh my god, he was going to..." she noticed that she was slumped in a seat- she must have fallen there. "Quickly, we must get you to mr. Gray." his tone was gentle but not without a sense of urgency. Gray was, as he'd told her he would be, in the office psi corp had rented for him. When Ivanova and Lennier arrived he was deep in converstion with someone but, on seeing them he quickly made his excuses and ushered his interviewer out. "Susan, whats wrong?" he took her in his arms- she was shaking all over but doing her best to retain her composure. "It happened again." she managed to force out, "I was standing up on the train...Do you think it could have found a way of forcing me into sleep whenever it wants to?" "I don't see how..." "This time he disguised himself as Stephen...Look, I'll do whatever you say, just get it to leave me *alone*" He simply nodded in reply and excahnged looks with Lennier who had been hovering in the doorway, doing his best to avoid being noticed. He excused himself, telling the two telepaths that he would inform Delenn and the others. Gray and Susan left for her quarters. "How do we do this?" she sounded exhausted and had leant heavily on Gray's arm all the way there. "I guess it might be easier if you go to bed: if you're wound up about this, which I can see you are, then sticking to your usual night-time routine might help." She agreed and disappeared into the bathroom to change into her nightclothes before climbing into her bed and pulling the quilt up to her chin. "Harriman?" she called him over and he seated himself on the bed beside her, "Where will you be?" "Over there." he gestured at one of the chairs in her living room. She bit her lip nervously, "Oh hush now- it's going to be alright, I promise." he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly. "I know. I just want this thing over with- one way or another." "And it will be. Now lie down." She did so and he gently tucked the duvet in around her before going over to his seat and removing first his gloves and then his jacket. Next he undid the top button of his shirt and sat down heavily in the easy chair, closing his eyes as he did so. Taking slow, deep breaths he concentrated on the gentle hum of people's thoughts that surrounded him, searching for Susan's. He found her and let himself become surrounded by the rhythm of those thoughts, without tuning into their actual content. He could feel her heartbeat slowing as she drifted into sleep and let his own one slow until it beat in time with hers. Then he opened his eyes. He found himself standing in a corridor of sorts: there didn't appear to be any walls, ceiling or floor; just doors, suspended in the blackness and stretching out ahead of him. Focusing yet more on Susan he let himself drift toward one of them. Without hesitation he reached out and pushed it open....Somewhere else on the station, another man did exactly the same thing, following Gray into Susan's sleeping mind, but with entirely different motives... ************************** <> The green of the garden stretched away in all directions from where He stood. The sky above was a wishy-washy grey, as were the statues dotted around. Rows of trees, their branches empty of leaves, stood motionless. There was no wind, no sound and no movement. *Something* told Him it was wintertime and although He could not feel the cold, He knew that she would. Up ahead a figure sat upon a stone bench, as still as one of the statues- Susan. She was dressed in a dark trousers and blouse and was pale with cold. Slowly He approached her and removed His jacket to wrap it around her shoulders. She stared straight ahead, barely acknowledging His presence and for a moment he wondered if she even knew He was there. <> She turned to Him suddenly and He found Himself staring into her eyes: she was close to tears. <> He went to take her hand, it was as cold as marble. <> She got up and moved away. Her companion followed. <> He asked gently, not wanting to startle her. She was so different here from the Commander Ivanova He knew so well. This place made her fragile and distant and isolated. He could see the child that lost her entire family and that was terrified of losing anyone else. The Susan here could only walk on alone and afraid: no words would comfort her and no physical contact on His part would stop her moving toward her fate. <> He looked around and realised that he'd lost her already. <> His voice was hoarse and filled with panic. He rounded the corner and saw her in the distance, moving away at high speed, although she herself did not appear to be moving that fast. It was as if the ground beneath her was some great, green conveyor belt. Out of the corner of His eye He picked up a movement. It wasn't sudden but gentle, smooth and fluid- like that of Susan up ahead. <> He quickened his pace. The stalker was moving toward Susan, holding a long metal object in one hand. The Man was dressed in black, a skull cap poised on the back of his head. Susan obviously recognised Him for she smiled and adressed him as Uncle Yossel. He looked, however, strangely familiar to the Man who watched them... <> He broke into a run. Even though he knew that calling her name was useless, He did it automatically as He gained on them. Their pace had slowed and they turned to face one another. The Man with Susan placed His hand tenderly over her eyes, which she obediently shut. Slowly his had dropped down and took gently captured both of hers, holding them tightly to his chest, pulling her closer. Although there was no sun or other source of light, the blade of the knife glistened as the Man placed it in Susan's hands with the blade facing inwards, towards her. All the while He was muttering strange words to her- probably hebrew or Russian, their Observer thought to Himself. Susan stood motionless, in an almost trance-like state, lulled into submission by the gentle comforting words of the Hebrew mourning prayer she'd heard recited time after time before. the knife was heavy in her hands but she felt no danger or fear, and simply pulled it closer to her. Suddenly she felt the knife being wrenched from her hands and a voice shouting her name. Her eyes flickered groggily open in time to see Rabbi Kossoff fading beofre her eyes and another familiar more face beside her, telling her to wake up. <> Brief recognition flashed in her eyes before she felt the soft warmth of a pillow beneath her head and a duvet covering her. Still shaking she sat up, knees hugged to her chest. ************************* <> her mind screamed. He staggered into the room, his eyes wild, "It's alright Susan. I'm here. Susan, you're okay now." He wrapped his arms around her. "I can't believe I almost..." "I know, but you didn't." "D'you think they got him?" she scrambled out of bed, pulling on her robe and stumbled over to the wall monitor. Garibaldi's face appeared. "Hey Ivanova, you look like hell...Sorry, no luck- this time." She groaned and slumped back onto the arm of a chair. Eventually finding her voice she asked, "So what now?" She heard Gray approaching her and felt the gentle weight of his hands on her shoulders, followed by his chin as he rested it on her right shoulder. "I'll have to get some sleep. It's pretty exhausting...Then I guess we'll start again later." She nodded thoughtfully before bestowing a kiss on his cheek. "Okay. I better get someone to stay with me...I'll see you in, say eight hours?" He was reaching for his gloves and jacket, "Oh and Harriman, you need a shave!" she giggled, rubbing her lips, "...stubble rash...!" "Oh sorry." he grinned ruefully, running one hand over his jaw, "I see what you mean..." He helped her to her feet and after hesitating for a few moments, kissed her tenderly on the lips. She responded and then held him close, burying her face in his neck. "Sleep well." She finally tore herself away and let him leave. Elsewhere on the station another man's eyes snapped open as he felt himself slam back into his body. Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet, enjoying the satisfying click of stiff joints finding their place. There was only one thought looping it's way around his mind: <> ********************************** The garden was in darkness this time. The only way He realised He'd been there before was the eerie stillness and silence that seemed to wrap themselves around Him like a blanket. The statues, trees and out-of-shape topiary formed strange silhouttes and shadows. This was the fifth of Susan's dreams He'd witnessed and he was starting to learn how to move through them more effectively. Instinct told him that the stalker wasn't far away: He *had* to find Susan. <> In the waking world He knew that Garibaldi and the others were close to finding the stalker, but He still had to find Susan and get her through this dream unharmed. With that objective in mind He hurried off in the direction of a wall of shrubbery that stretched high up into the midnight sky. Not slowing His pace He follwed the boundary, calling her name over and over....There was someone else near Him...He whirled around to face whoever was behind Him, coming face to face with His nemesis. <> The stalker merely smiled, <> The stalker gestured at his attire which was identical to that of the other Man. <> <> <> The stalker faded into the darkness, leaving Him alone. He felt a dull thump on the back of his head and the world started to spin. ****************************** With a familiar jolt He found himself back in familiar surroundings. A concerned face appeared above him: Lennier. "Quickly, you must go back. We almost have him...Lyta's found something....you know him too, don't you...?" Lennier's voice sounded urgent and He complied, closing His eyes once more and opening his mind to the delicate hum of her sleeping thoughts. ****************************** He was there again. The topiary maze stretched out for miles around him. Ignoring the searing pain at the back of his head, He looked up and noticed that the sky was still a deep velvety dark blue. <> He could feel her in the distance, pulling him closer. He could sense that she was braver this time than in all her other dreams: she was refusing to give in. She appeared before Him, dressed as alaways, all in black: the uniform Delenn had had made for her after the rebirth ceremony. Her hair was tied back. He stared at her for a moment: her eyes were wide and bright with exhilaration, her cheeks slightly flushed. He could feel her pulse racing, as adrenaline coarsed through her body: He could *feel* her excitement. She stepped forward, taking His hand and planting a kiss on His cheek. <> She drew a ppg from the holster on her belt, <> she whispered breathlessly, <> <> He thought to himself, <> He sighed with relief, unconsciously fingering the unfamiliar clothing He wore. <> She still kept hold of His hand as they hurried through the deep green corridors of shrubbery. He pulled her around to face Him, hissing urgently, <> Scowling she snatched her hand back. <> She stormed off. He had no choice but to follow. Maybe it was easier when she was scared and reliant on him... <> he tought to himself, <> He glanced over His shoulder in time to see their assailant appear from nowhere, raising appg and preparing to fire, Without a second thought He reached forward a grabbed Ivanova around the waist, lifting her off the ground and pulled her with Him around a sharp corner, further into the maze. They hit the ground, Him rolling onto His back to break her fall and in no time they were up and running, His arm still tightly encircling her waist. Twisting and turning he half dragged her through the maze until they reached a dead end. <> He stopped, gasping for breath. <<*Now* can we stay and fight?>> Ivanova sneered, starting up her ppg. <> He spied a narrow opening in one corner of their would-be prison, <> taking her arm He pushed her through, following close behind Himself. <> she protested, attempting to shrug Him off. <> <> He cupped her face in His hands, in spite of her struggling. <> she continued to struggle, trying to pull away but he held fast. <> He felt her relax a little. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath. <> her eyes snapped open and she stared at Him accusingly. <> Kicking Him hard, first in the shin then in the stomach, she shrugged Him off and backed away, raising her ppg. Gasping for breath He did His best to straighten up. He could see tears in her eyes. <> she ordered. Numbly He nodded and looked down at his body: the garments he wore reverted back to their usual shape and colour. He looked back up at her, <> <> she spat back at Him. The rustle of leaves behind her made her start and He took His chance. Leaping forward, He wrestled her to the ground, wrenching the ppg from her hand. Ignoring the well aimed kicks and blows she rained on Him, he threw the weapon as far as He could, then He pulled her to her feet. With a last burst of energy she managed to push Him away and He fell to the ground, hitting His head at the journey's end. He looked up at her, still dazed by the blow in time to see a sudden movement behind her, <> She wasn't shocked or startled to feel a hand on her shoulder. Slowly she turned to face her assailant- then she was shocked. His face was the same as that of the man who lay near unconscious at her feet. <> The man before her smiled cruelly and she stared into his eyes...it couldn't be... <> The man laughed, <> His hand fitted tightly around her throat and He lifted her up until only the tips of her toes touched the ground. <> she managed to croak, placing her own hands around His throat. <> Removing one hand she jabbed two fingers into His eyes and took her chance to throw Hi hands off of her throat. She fell to the ground but was back on her feet within a split second, landing a foot in His stomach, and then as he bent double, a knee in His face. He crumpled to the floor and she kicked Him over onto His back, before pressing her foot over His throat and leaning forward until most of her weight pressed down on him. <> she screamed at the stunned, gasping man. Then she waited impatiently as His form changed before her eyes: the hair grew short and fine; He seemed to shrink a little in height and the thick beard dissipated to nothing. The long cloak metamorphosed into a sombre dark suit and the ranger pin changed into that of the psi corp... End of Part Five. Part Six will follow shortly. TTFN, nick xxxx From: nick! Subject: Killing Susan Part Six Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 16:29:11 +0100 (BST) ...And finally: the last part of this monster. New story in the pipeline which will follow on from this one. All comments etc welcome. For disclaimer see part one/two. Enjoy! Killing Susan Part 6/6 <> Ivanova recovered quickly from her shock as the man at her feet smiled up triumphantly. Then he faded before her eyes. <> A gentle voice spoke behind her and she looked around at Marcus as he struggled to sit up. Wordlessly she helped him to his feet before sliding her arms around his waist and hugging him to her. He wrapped his own arms around her shoulders and returned the hug. <> he finally spoke. <> her voice was muffled against the fabric of his cloak, <> she clutched him tighter. <> he breathed, stroking her hair absent-mindedly. <> <> <> <> <> she murmured, <> <> he whispered, kissing her forehead. ****************************** "Susan, wake up." Ivanova opened her eyes and lay blinking up at the ceiling and Garibaldi's worried face which frowned down at her. "We got him." he added grimly. With his help, she scrambled out of bed in time to see two security guards pinning Gray to the floor while Franklin injected him with sleeper drugs. Behind her Garibaldi wrapped her gown over her shoulders and without even registering she tucked her arms into it's sleeves. "We'll let you know what what we find out..." Garibaldi added. Barely hearing him, she approached the bound telepath- he looked shell-shocked and didn't seem to know what was going on. "Susan, I-" he tried to speak. She blanked him, turning instead to one of the guards and telling him to "just get him out of here." They did so and she closed her ears to his jumbled proestations as they frog-marched him down the halls to the cells. As they left, Marcus appeared at the door. "Knock, knock." he smiled, but his eyes betrayed his uncertainty. "I'll leave you two in peace." Garibaldi brushed past her, grinning to himself. Susan barely noticed him leave. "How are you feeling?" the wiry ranger entered the room,standing aside to let the other man pass. "Um, I'm not quite sure." Ivanova replied, pushing one of many unruly locks of slept-on hair from her face. "Coffee?" "Love some" he smiled and followed her over to the kitchenette, seating himself on a stool and watching as she carefully spooned coffee into the filter. Then, clicking the machine on, she frowned as she decided to give up on the small talk. "How did you know?" "You already asked me that...I knew there was something *wrong* on the station, for a while I thought it was *me*" noting her look of confusion he elaborated, "I felt that I shouldn't be here, that I had brought something *back* with me. Delenn was worried that a soul hunter might have taken my soul and 'replaced' it with something else, thats what she had Lennier investigate and keep an eye on me." "Is that what *you* thought had happened?" "I didn't know *what* to think! I could feel this 'presence' on the station, it felt like it was watching me all the time. I couldn't sleep, couldn't concentrate on anything...and I could feel it dragging me out of my body and into your mind. I didn't realise it was *him* until that time he disguised himself as your rabbi friend. And then I didn't dare tell anyone incase he scanned them and realising what they knew, harmed them also. Only Lennier knew the whole story in the end and the two of us worked hard to stay out of his way." "But how come *you* felt you were being watched?" "Dunno. Maybe it has something to do with us both being telepaths. And you *have* to admit, there *is* a link between us. That would certainly explain why I got dragged off into your mind whenever you fell asleep: maybe *you* unconsciously called me there..." She looked a little uncomfortable at the thought of her having unknowingly asked him for help and changed the subject. "Do you think he'll get away with it?" her voiice was muffled as she rummaged in a cupboard under the counter for two mugs. "The corp will probably pick him up in a few days. Their story is that they had nothing to do with it. Before they arrive though, we're hoping to get some info through anyday now on him- Lyta seems to think that he has an implanted personality..." "I should've killed him when I had the chance...He'll probably get promoted or something for what he tried to do." She stared gloomily at the coffe pot as it merrrily putted to itself. <> he placed one hand over hers for a second until she jerked away, "I'll take care of myself thank you Marcus. So stay out of my head!" she snapped "Sorry, force of habit." "Humph! Well, if you'll excuse me *I'm* going to get dressed!" "Back to your usual self then?" he called out as she disappeared into the bathroom. "Jolly good." He left, still chuckling to himself, "It's good to have the old Commander Ivanova back:I've missed her...and her moods!" "You've heard the latest then?" Sheridan handed his former second a mug of tea before sitting down opposite her in his office. "Lyta received a message from an old contact of hers in the Mars rebellion: the password is the same as Talia's was..." he noticed her flinch at the mention of her former lover's name. "We've not used it yet...I thought you might want to see him first..." She shhok her head vigorously before slumping back into the chair she was perched on. "I thought I could trust him. He let me inside his mind and there was nothing there to indicate..." the words escaped her. "The implant was as well done as Talia's was. I doubt even a deep scan could have picked it up." "If it is any consolation," Delenn's soothing tone spoke from beside Susan, "The Harriman Gray we all knew could not have known what the implanted personality was doing. I'm sure he was as fond of you as you were of him...." "You're right, that is no consolation." Ivanova snapped, then softened, "I'm sorry delenn, I'm just a little mixed up right now..." In reply, Delenn smiled warmly and patted the younger woman's hand. "How did the medical go?" Sheridan asked, hoping to bring them onto a happier topic. "Fine. I'm all set for active service again." She answered, relieved at the subject change. "And we still can't tempt you to stay here on Babylon5?" "And do what? My post has been filled. Besides, I've wanted to be posted on a ship for a while now. Anyway, I couldn't do it to Corwin and the others: they'd all suffer nervous breakdowns if I came back here and I do so *hate* to see grown men reduced to tears!" "And you've *plenty* of experience of *that*" Franklin added as he entered the office with Garibaldi. "Come on, get to your feet. It's your last night here and you're drinking...tea?" he sniffed dubiously at the cup he'd wrestled from her fingers before setting it on Sheridan's desk and pulling her to her feet. "Yeah come on, we've got valuable drinking time to catch up on and there's a soda water out there with my name on!" Garibaldi joined in, taking Susan's other arm. She laughed and let them steer her out of the office. "Have either one of you seen Marcus?" she asked, "I wanted to ask him along but..." "Nope, but I'm sure he's around." Franklin replied, "Now come *on*, it's your round!" Marcus got half way to Earhearts before changing his mind and heading back to his quarters. It was late and the party would be in full swing: he *hated* crowds. Two hours later Ivanova staggered back to her quarters on a sober Garibaldi's arm, having left Franklin necking with some blonde at the bar. They reached her door and Garibaldi propped her up against the wall before punching her lock code. "Are you gonna be okay ther?" "Abso-fraggin-lutely!" she mock saluted him, "Hey, did you know I'm a *Captain* now?" she squinted up at him. "Yes, Susan, you told me about a million times already." He caught her as she began to slide down the wall. Spying a drazi heading in their direction, she yelled out, "Did *you* know I'm a captain now?" The drazi stopped dead and did a very good impression of a rabbit trapped in car headlights, before abruptly turning tail and scampering off in the opposite direction. Garibaldi thought to himself that he had *never* before seen a drazi *scamper* and sighed, it had been a *very* long night: Ivanova was always trouble when drunk. "You'll go in though? You won't spend the night slumped in the doorway?" "No dad!" "Okay, goodnight." he gave her a gentle shove so that she fell into her quarters. The door shushed closed behind her and he continued the short walk to his own apartments. <> she grumped to herself as she lurched into the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror. "Ah hell, it's probably for the best anyway...I look like death!" she rested her head against the cool glass. <> Then she had the makings of an idea. Clumsily she opened the medical cabinet and rummaged around, dropping various boxes, packets, jars and bottles into the basin until she found what she was looking for: oxy pills. She knocked two back then turned and leant on the basin to wait for them to take effect. This done, she showered, brushed her teeth and changed into a clean shirt and trousers. Then , before she had a chance to change her mind, she hurried out of her quarters and down the corridor. Marcus was nodding off into the book he was halfway through reading, sprawled out on his couch, a blanket covering him to the waist. He was forcing himself to read as a way of preventing himself from brooding too deeply. He knew he 8should* have gone to Ivanova's party but, it was better this way- goodbyes weren't his strong suit, so he'd snuck into her quarters, with a little help from Lennier and left a note in one of the pockets of her bag. <> he'd chided himself, <> The sound of the door startled him back into the waking world, "Open" he mumbled, impatiently pushing his hair out of his face and struggling to sit up. "Hi. Oh god, sorry, I forgot it was so late..." she hovered in the doorway. "S'alright, I had to get up to answer the door anyway..." he covered his surprise and continued to fight his way to a stand- slouching in an awkward position had sent most of his limbs to sleep. She looked at him strangely as her still slightly addled brain tried to process what he'd just said, then she shrugged as she resolved not to pursue it. There was an awkward moment as they both searched for something to say. Finally Marcus broke the silence by asking her if she'd like a drink, "No vodka I'm afraid. It's tea or nothing." he made his way to the kitchenette. "Tea's great, I'm all vodka'd out." she noticed he was wearing only his trousers and forced herself not to stare. "What are you reading?" she reached for the book left slung open on the couch as she sat down on the only other available chair. "1984? I read this in school. Hated every moment of it. They should have banned it when the 'real' 1984 passed without any of that crap!" "Oh I don't know." he padded back over and handed her a cup. "He wasn't completely wrong: we do have our own 'thought police' after all..." "Hm. That's true." she frowned thoughtfully as she took a sip. Then she started thinking aloud, a little more carefully, "All the stories that have been written about the 'future', they always predict something terrble but we keep on plodding toward it anyway...think we'll ever learn?" "Part of me says 'maybe'" he replied thoughtfully, warming his hands on his cup, "the other part says 'I hope not'! Look at it this way," he stareted to warm to his topic, dumping his cup on the floor beside him. "It's the mistakes we make that remind us of who we are: we fall to teach us to walk; we feel loss sowe'll learn to gain; we experience despair to teach us joy and we die so we'll learn to live." he finished with a shrug and reached for his cup. "Maybe...how did you get to be so optimistic anyway?" "Practice. How did *you* get to be such a pessimist?" "I'm Russian: we're very good at it...The vodka probably helps as well." she grinned back. "But I get the feeling you're not really talking about the world in general. You're speaking from personal experience." But she deiced to ignore the verbal prod he was giving her and instead changed the subject: "Why didn't you come to my party anyway?" He paused, "So *thats* why you're here...I suppose I'm not very good at goodbyes, I'm sorry." he looked down a little shamefully, suddenly quite fascinated with the pattern on the carpet. She thought for a moment and then decided to let him off the hook. "It's okay, you missed me making a *complete* idiot of myself and getting into a brawl with a couple of wierdos!" "Really? I heard there were five of them and one was a mutai fighter!" he teased. "The ugly one with the ponytail? Oh yeah.." she giggled to herself for a moment, "Yeah well *he'll* not be fathering any children in the near future."Then she smiled coyly, looking him in the eye, "How did you hear anyway?" "Lennier. He stopped by to nag me into coming along." He stopped and caught her stifling a yawn, "You look exhausted. You should get some sleep. If you don't think you can manage the long trek back to your own quarters, you can have my bed- I usually sleep on thecouch." She smiled and was about to thank him when she turned and realised that the bed in question was a minbari one. Noticing her expression he chuckled softly, "It lies flat if you prop it up with that chest over there..." she looked doubtful, "here, I'll help you- it's a bit heavy" "You've got that right." Ivanova grunted as she tried to drag the box along the floor. "What's in it anyway? Lemme guess, books, right?" "Fraid so." Between them they managed to kick and shove the chest under the bed. "Goodnight Susan" "Goodnight Marcus" 03:30 EST Harriman gray sat in his cell. The corp would be there to collect him in the morning.Lyta Alexander had visited him earlier and under heavy guard, sent the password into his mind that destroyed his real personality and let the implanted one take over. The 'new' Harriman gray smiled secretly: although he'd failed in his mission, he was glad to finally be free. The old Harriman Gray had had quite a thing about Susan Ivanova...and he'dhad to work hard to stop him from blowing his cover...It had onlty been an experimental mission and her name had been as good as picked out of a hat... well, at least now they knew it was 'do-able'. He let himself fall into a deep, contented sleep. Ivanova woke up. The lights in Marcus' quarters were still on, but low, fixed over the couch where he lay. She was gasping for a drink, so carefully she picked her way across the rom and fetched a glass of water. Just as quietly, she padded over to Marcus' makeshift bed. He was fast asleep, his book lying open on his chest- he'd fallen asleep while reading again. She perched tentatively on the edge of the couch beside him, leaving her glass on the floor. Carefully she moved the book aside and tucked the blanket in around him, trying her best not to dwell on how much younger he looked in sleep. ************************************ Gray found himself in his quarters on Babylon 5. He was obviously dreaming and he resolved to sit back and enjoy it- he'd been so exhausted lately that he'd been sleeping an almost dreamless sleep. There was a girl with him. He couldn't see her face which was hidden by a hooded cloak of the deepst burgundy coloured velvet. He could however see a pair of delicate, slender hands clasped demurely in her lap. She felt familiar to him but he didn't know where from. ******************************** <> Susan tenderly stroked Marcus' hair back from his forehead and continued the carress down his cheek. <> she resisted the urge to peek into his mind, <> The voice in her head mocked her, <> "No..." she whispered before gently kissing him slowly on the lips. It was enough: his eyes flickered open and he started slightly before becoming still again, his half closed eyes staring into hers. ******************************* The girl took gray playfully by the hand and led him up a flight of stairs. He suddenly realised that his surroundings had changed from his quarters on Babylon 5 to the house he'd lived in as a child, before his psi ability had emerged and he'd entered the corp. <> Her whispered words tickled his ear and he flinched slightly. The lights went out and he found he was standing on the landing, alone. <> he called out, his voice disjointed and alien to him. He began to search each room: his parents'- two rounded lumps in the double bed there each moved slightly as they breathed and snored; his sister's- empty also apart from the small figure in the bed there. <> he could hear her...feel her laughing at him. At the end of the hallway was one last door: He opened it. **************************************** Their kiss continued, gently deepening with each passing second. He took her hand and kissed it, his gaze never once leaving hers. She could feel him in her mind and for once, she didn't turn away. With tears in her eyes she extended the kiss down his throat before resting her cheek briefly on his chest and staring up at him. Slowly she stood up and removed first her shirt, then her trousers. He watched her, transfixed, silent: no words were necessary now- everything that needed to be said had been. Eventually she slid under the blanket beside him. **************************************** Gray's foot brushed against something on the floor. he reached down into the darkness to investigate- it was her cloak. <> he straightened up in time to feel something light fly across the room, hiiting him in the chest, followed by a second, identical object: gloves. Stepping further into the room he let his eyes grow acustommed to the gloom. this was his old room: the walls were covered in posters of starships; every surface was littered with models of them. This place...He felt the increasing pace of his heart... ********************************************* <> <> <> <> ******************************** <> The fragile figure of the girl stepped out of the shadows, her face pale in the moonlight filtered through star-printed curtains, advanced toward him. her face was framed by thick, dark curls nad almost filled by equally dark eyes which were huge like saucers. She smiled knowingly up at him, her features losing some of their innocence, <> she stepped aside, almost disappearing into the darkness and another figure stepped forward: a boy, small for his age, <> the boy asked beseechingly, <> Gray found himself nodding as he looked down at his younger self. The boy handed the man a knife, all the while gazing up through trusting eyes. <> they both asked the figure who waited half concealed in the shadows. Smiling, she shook her head, stepping forward to place her hand over Gray's, forcing the knife in at his belly before pushing it further, upwards, through his ribcage and on up to his throat. She paid no attention to the blood that gushed out. Gray fell to the ground as the scenery around him changed back to the cell on Babylon 5. as he fought for each laboured breath, he realised he wasn't alone- he was lying with his head in *her* lap and she soothed him gently with softly spoked words until he let his eyelids drop shut for the final time. ****************************************** "Good. Morning. The. Time. Is. oh.Six. Thirty. Earth. Standard. Time. This is your requested wake up call. You have six messages. 1 message from Lennier; 1 message from Michael Garibaldi; 1 meesage from staion security..." "Marcus, shut it up..." "Computer, stop." "Thanks. Got any coffee?" "Sure." "...Well?" <> "Chief, you'd better get in here...." the duty guard caslled out to Zack who rushed into the cell the man's voice was coming from. On the floor, Harriman looked peaceful, although his cheeks were streaked with dried tears. Zack bent down and checked his pulse: he was dead. Marcus and Ivanova joined the rest of their colleages in Sheridan's office after breakfast later that morning, trying their best not to look *too* smug. "Well, here come love's young dream...!" Sheridan cheered and garibaldi started to applaud. "You two look a little tired..." Delenn observed, a wry smile spreading across her delicate features. Marcus and Susan exchanged glances, <> <> <> Marcus looked indignant. "I take it you heard the news..." Sheridan was suddenly all business-like once more. "Harriman Gray was found dead in his cell this morning. Preliminary examinations have turned up no obvious cause of death which we're recording as 'by natural causes'". On her white star, Maggie smiled gently in her sleep. Her friend was out of danger- for now. A pang of guilt hit her as she remembered the look on Gray's face as she'd forced the knife into him, and then as he'd laid in her arms, his eyes searching her face for comprehension...To get rid of the implanted personality, she'd also had to kill the 'real' Harriman, the Harriman who'd comforted her after the nightmares her separation from her mother in the psi corp facility had left her with.During thhe experiments he'd taken care of her whenever he was around. Then she stopped- no, she'd done the *right* thing: she had heard the 'old' Harriman Gray crying for help for so long now...he'd begged her to kill him before he harmed Susan... Maggie relaxed further into her chair as her ship hummed to itself. She was almost at the galactic rim now: they'd be waiting for her... "You're really going then?" Marcus looked on as Ivanova packed up the remainder of her things. "It's going to be so *quiet* without you..." he tried to keep his tone light, but he looked miserable. She stopped what she was doing for a minute and sat down beside him; resting her head on his shoulder. "It's not for forever...But I *need* to work. I've always put my career first. I know what I said last night and I don't want you to think i was lying to you...I'm not *leaving* you, I'm just going somewhere else... I have to get this wonderlust out of my system." "I know, I know. i'ts not ideal but what in this life everis..." he replied sadly. "I'll tell you what," his voice picked up alittle as he fiddled with a lock of her hair that had worked it's way free of the tight bun it had been scraped into a few hours ago, "You go and play in your space ship for a bit, and when you're done with it, providing you've not met someone else, we'll..." "We'll what?" "I don't know, find a *huge* four poster bed, and live in it!" "It's a deal." she giggled. <> THE END (FINALLY)