From: Kelly Subject: A Telepath's Fight Pt. 2 Date: 1 Nov 1999 07:19:18 -0800 A Telepath’s Fight Part 2 of ? By Kelly After the problems with the last version, I pasted this directly into e-mail and added some hard returns to make it readable. Disclaimer: All characters, locations, etc. are the property of JMS, PTEN, and Babylonian Productions, except for Kathryn, who belongs to me. This is not intended to violate any copyrights. This story is my first attempt at fanfic, so any comments or criticisms are welcome, as long as they’re constructive. You can send to the list or e-mail me at liliana004@icqmail.com. Note: Text written like is telepathic speech. Text written like * this * is meant to be italicized. SPOILERS for Divided Loyalties in Season 2 Kathryn Parker had always been a very religious person, and her faith in God had helped her through many difficult situations. This, she thought, had to be one of the worst. She had just had a very disturbing conversation with Susan Ivanova. It had been interrupted when Susan’s link had beeped; Captain Sheridan needed to see her. Now, Kathryn was back in her quarters, trying to figure out what to do. Sighing softly, she opened her dresser drawer, pushing clothes out of the way to uncover a secret compartment. From it, she removed two identicards and two tickets to Eleytheria 7, one of the outer colonies. The pictures on the cards were of Andrea and Victor, two rogue telepaths, but the names were “Morgan Delaney” and “Brian Marino.” It had taken a long time, but she and a few others had managed to scrape together enough money to send two rogue telepaths to the outer colonies, far outside the reach of the Psi Corps. Neither the tickets nor the false identicards had been cheap. They had drawn straws to choose who would go, deciding to send two people together since it was better to have someone to watch out for you than to travel alone. She stared at the identicards silently for a few moments. Andrea should have escaped, but now she was dead, murdered by the Corps just like Kathryn’s father had been. Kathryn put the cards away and closed the drawer. “Why?” she whispered. “What did Andrea ever do to deserve this?” Then, Kathryn’s thoughts drifted from Andrea’s death to her own problems, namely Lyta Alexander and the “sleeper” personality that Psi Corps had implanted into someone on Babylon 5 to act as a spy. The only way to find out who it was, Lyta said, was to allow her to implant a code word directly into that person’s mind. Kathryn’s initial, and somewhat irrational, fear that Lyta would discover her secrets had subsided. After all, Kathryn was a P11, and Lyta was only a P5. What frightened Kathryn now was the possibility that * she * might be the sleeper. Because her father, a rogue telepath, had been killed by a Psi Cop, there had always been those who questioned her loyalty to the Corps. What better way to guarantee that loyalty than to implant the sleeper personality into her mind? She shuddered at the thought of having everything she knew revealed to the Corps. Her mother, Victor, Susan, and nearly everyone else she cared about would be placed in danger. “No,” Kathryn said aloud. “I will not let that happen.” She stood up and went to find Susan Ivanova. Kathryn prayed that she would be strong enough to do what needed to be done. Luckily, she managed to run into Susan when she was alone. Kathryn said. Even though no one else was around, telepathy was still safer than audible speech. Kathryn said. Kathryn had some doubts about whether it was really possible to completely erase someone’s personality instantly, but she kept them hidden from Susan. Susan said finally. Just then, Captain Sheridan appeared. “Ms. Parker, could I have a word with you?” he asked. “Of course, Captain.” “Lyta Alexander is on Babylon 5, and she claims that Psi Corps has a spy here.” He repeated what Lyta had told him about the sleeper program. “Why are you telling me this?” she asked. “Lyta is going to give the code word to anyone who might be the sleeper. Since there’s a possibility that it’s you, I’m giving you a choice. You can allow her to implant the word into your mind. If you don’t, I’ll have to confine you to the brig. I’m sorry, but you must understand the security risk.” Kathryn had expected something like this. There was no way that Lyta could get into her mind if she didn’t allow it, and the Captain knew that. If she was the sleeper, the only way they would find out was by eliminating all the other possibilities. And, if it was her, they couldn’t risk her being free. “You must be kidding, Captain,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You actually expect me to let a rogue telepath inside my head. Do you take me for an idiot? What makes you think she’s even telling the truth at all? Lyta Alexander is a desperate fugitive, Captain, someone who would say or do anything. Haven’t you even considered the possibility that she just wants the opportunity to scan you and your command staff?” “I have, but, quite frankly, I trust her more than I trust Psi Corps. I take it your answer is ‘no,’ then.” “Of course it’s ‘no.’ And you can’t just lock me up like some kind of criminal. You have no right.” she said. “I also have no other choice.” “Believe me, you’ll be hearing about this,” Kathryn said. “I don’t doubt it,” he replied. Kathryn glared at Captain Sheridan silently. She hoped that he was buying her little performance. She had to pretend that she was loyal to the Corps and act the way he would expect her to act. In all honesty, though, she would almost rather just let Lyta give her the code word and get it over with. At least that way she would know one way or the other. Wondering whether or not she was the one was going to drive her crazy. Kathryn allowed two security guards to escort her to the brig, where she paced nervously back and forth. A few minutes seemed like an hour. If she was the one, could she count on Susan to keep her promise? If the situation was reversed, Kathryn didn’t think she would be able to do what she was asking Susan to. And what about Andrea? Kathryn couldn’t stop wondering why she had been killed and why the Psi Cops had done it the way they did. A mindwipe would have been far easier. “NO!” Kathryn felt pain like she had never experienced before. Something dark and evil had taken control of her mind and body, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she was telepathically experiencing what was happening to someone else, but the fact that it wasn’t happening to her didn’t make it any less frightening. “You blew my cover!” an angry voice shrieked. It was Talia, Kathryn realized. “You're dead! Do you hear me? You're dead The Corps is mother, the Corps is father. You're dead, Lyta Alexander! We'll find you. The Corps will find you!” She could feel Talia fighting against the other personality, but there was nothing she could do. It had taken away her control, and it was killing her. Kathryn’s hunch that it was impossible to destroy a personality in an instant had been right. The sleeper was killing Talia, but it could only do it slowly. Kathryn raised her mental blocks, breaking the contact. She knew that if she stayed connected to Talia’s mind, it would drive her insane. A tear ran down Kathryn’s cheek, and in a few moments she was sobbing uncontrollably. Just when she thought that there was nothing the Corps would do that could surprise her, they sunk to a new low. “The Corps is Mother. The Corps is Father,” she thought bitterly. Talia was one of people who was supposed to be part of the “family,” and they would destroy her without a thought. Angrily, she slammed her fist against the wall. First her father and Susan’s mother. Now Andrea and Talia. When was it ever going to stop? To be continued From: Kelly Subject: A Telepath's Fight, Part 3 Date: 22 Nov 1999 07:11:01 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Disposition: inline Okay, I give up on the attachments. Sorry for being such a pain by repeatedly sending documents that no one can read. Anyway, here's part 3: A Telepath’s Fight Part 3 of ? By Kelly Disclaimer: All characters, locations, etc. are the property of JMS, PTEN, and Babylonian Productions, except for Kathryn, who belongs to me. This is not intended to violate any copyrights. This story is my first attempt at fanfic, so any comments or criticisms are welcome, as long as they’re constructive. You can send to the list or e-mail me at liliana004@icqmail.com. Note: Text written like is telepathic speech. Text written like * this * is meant to be italicized. SPOILERS for Divided Loyalties in Season 2 “You’re free to go, Miss Parker,” a guard said to Kathryn. “It isn’t you.” Kathryn left, still almost in shock from what she had experienced. Kathryn fought down her anger and pain and forced herself to think rationally. She had to find Susan. Maybe there was still time to do something for Talia. Kathryn headed for Susan’s quarters and rang the chime. “Go away,” Susan said. Her voice was filled with grief. “Please, I need to talk to you.” “I said ‘Go away.’” “Susan, we have to help Talia!” Finally, Susan opened the door. She was sitting on the couch, red-eyed with tears streaming down her face. A half-empty bottle of vodka sat on the table in front of her. “Talia’s dead,” Susan said, never even looking up at Kathryn. “No, she’s not. They made a mistake. The sleeper can’t destroy the original personality instantaneously. It takes time. But I don’t know how much time. There still might be something we can do. “All right,” Susan said. Kathryn could feel the spark of hope in Susan’s mind, and she could tell that Susan was trying to push it down, afraid that Kathryn was wrong and there was really nothing they could do. “What exactly are you planning?” “Somebody put that personality into her mind; maybe it can be taken out. I don’t know if I can do it, but I have to try.” They went to Talia’s quarters, where she had been placed under house arrest. Kathryn said telepathically. She had heard the things that the “sleeper” had said to Susan, and she knew they’d hurt her deeply. If Susan went in there, she would probably face more of the same. Susan replied. Kathryn didn’t argue. Susan was probably a P1, maybe a P2, and Kathryn doubted that there would be much she could do. She knew, though, that Susan desperately wanted to help her friend. Talia asked Kathryn when they came in, completely ignoring Susan. Kathryn shuddered when the implanted personality made contact with her mind. It was cruel, ruthless, and blindly loyal to the Corps, a dangerous combination. Kathryn replied. She could feel Susan’s shock, so she sent back to her on a tight band, the telepathic equivalent of a whisper. Kathryn pulled one glove off and touched Talia’s forehead with her bare hand. She needed the telepathic contact to be as strong as possible if she hoped to succeed. Kathryn allowed herself to become totally submerged in Talia’s mind, losing touch with the outside world completely. She would have to trust Susan to take care of anything that might happen out there. Kathryn seemed to be standing on a dark, flat plain. Images flashed in the sky above her, and she could hear a thousand voices all talking at once. The ground was a dull, red color, like dried blood. She knew that none of this was real, exactly. It was just her mind’s way of perceiving what Talia’s mind was like. Kathryn shuddered as she looked around. Of all the minds she had made contact with, even Bester’s, this was the darkest and most terrifying. Standing in the center of the plain, in what looked like an iron cage, was Talia, the real Talia. Kathryn concentrated, and an instant later, she was standing next to her. Talia cried hysterically. Kathryn replied, hoping that it was the truth. Red sparks, like embers from a flame, were coming at Talia from all directions. She tried to move out of the way, but there were too many for her to dodge. She cried out in pain as they hit her. Kathryn raised her telepathic shield, placing it over both Talia and herself. She could see now that her original plan was not going to work. The implanted personality had attached itself too deeply into Kathryn’s mind for her to be able to get it out. a voice screamed. It seemed to come from all around them. The implanted personality had figured out whose side Kathryn was really on. A torrent of red sparks rained down on Kathryn and Talia, but the shield held. The random images in the sky above them began to come together to form a single coherent picture. Talia was lying in bed asleep, when suddenly she sat upright. Her eyes were unfocused, and it was obvious that she was still sleeping. she said. It wasn’t the real Talia’s voice, but the other personality. While Talia slept, it must have been able to take control. Kathryn could feel a mental tug of war going on between Talia and the other telepath. She could sense the other telepath’s shock and horror at discovering the other personality embedded in Talia’s mind. Lyta had said that it wasn’t detectable, even with a deep scan, but it must have moved to the surface of Talia’s mind in order to take control while she slept. The other telepath was stronger, but Talia managed to catch her off guard and pull a vital piece of information out of her head. It was an image of a spot in Downbelow, a place where rogue telepaths hid. Kathryn gasped. The other telepath was Andrea. Andrea managed to break the contact and run. Kathryn and Talia could only watch in horror as Talia got out of bed, called someone from Psi Corps and gave them the information she had taken from Andrea’s mind. That was how they had found her, she realized, and that was why they had killed her. Andrea had found out about the sleeper program, and they had killed her to keep her from talking. Apparently, Kathryn’s theory about the reason had been partly correct. Not wanting to waste a strong telepath, they had planned to implant another personality into her mind. However, they didn’t want to simply mindwipe her, since what she knew would still exist, and she might be able to get to it. The odds against that were tremendous, but they hadn’t wanted to take even that risk. Before they could implant the new personality, though, the other rogues had sent them a glyph, making them think that security was on their tail. The effort it had taken to destroy Andrea’s mind must have weakened them severely, or they never would have been fooled. As Talia watched the scene play out, Kathryn could feel her guilt and shock. She hadn’t remembered any of this, and now, she felt as if * she * had killed Andrea. The sleeper laughed. Another rain of fire smashed into Kathryn’s telepathic shields. Kathryn told Talia. Talia sent back, weakly. Everything that had happened was taking its toll on her, and Kathryn was afraid that she might never recover, even if they did make it out of this alive. The next image showed what really happened in the confrontation between Bester, Talia, and a group of rogue telepaths. Talia and the rogues had worked together to trick Bester into believing that she had killed the rogues, while, in fact they escaped. Talia broke off, not wanting to continue the thought. Kathryn wasn’t sure if she would be able to handle what had in mind, but she didn’t see any other choice. She whispered a quick prayer, and reached deep into the sleeper’s mind. She found what she was looking for: the knowledge on how to destroy mental information, permanently. It was the same method that had been used against Andrea, and it was what the implanted personality was trying to do to Talia. She had also picked up another piece of information, something that might help Talia, but it would have to wait. With what she had learned, Kathryn dug into the sleeper’s memories. First, she transferred everything that Talia knew into her own mind. She buried it under strong blocks, to prevent the sleeper from taking it from her. Kathryn removed those memories that were incriminating to Talia, B5’s command staff, or anyone else from Talia’s mind. She didn’t want the Corps to get as much as a scrap of useable information from this. The process was slow and difficult, and Kathryn still had to protect herself and Talia from the implanted personality’s psychic attacks. She could feel her energy draining, and she wondered how long she could keep this up. the sleeper’s voice shrieked in her mind. The attack against her and Talia intensified. Kathryn strengthened her shields, making it that much more difficult to get rid of the memories. A new voice echoed in her mind. It was Susan! Kathryn replied. Susan’s heart sank. She could tell that that was an understatement. Kathryn gave Susan the exact location of the telepath’s hideout. Kathryn gave Susan a memory that could only have come from her: her conversation with Victor in Downbelow after Andrea’s murder. Susan replied and broke the contact with Kathryn’s mind. Time passed. It could have been minutes or it could have been hours. Kathryn only knew that she had to keep working. Her head hurt. It quickly progressed from a dull ache to a shooting pain that seemed to rip her skull in two. Kathryn cried out in pain. She couldn’t fail, not now. Half a dozen voices echoed through Kathryn’s mind. Susan had returned, with Victor and the others. Working together, they erased the rest of the memories. Now would come the difficult part. Just as a personality could be implanted, it could also be moved from one mind to another. Since Talia’s mind had been permanently taken over by the other personality, the only way to save her would be to get her out. That would mean, though, that she and Talia would be, at least temporarily, stuck in the same body, like having a split personality. Kathryn explained to Talia what she intended to do. Talia replied. Carefully, Kathryn pulled Talia’s personality into her own mind. Even with the help of the other telepaths, this made destroying those memories seem almost easy by comparison. Kathryn’s headache escalated to unbearable proportions. She could feel all the other telepaths straining to help her. All the energy they could muster was poured into the effort. Finally, it was done. Completely spent, Kathryn collapsed into unconsciousness.