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  Synopsis by Matthew Murray (n9641343@cc.wwu.edu)
  
   Sheridan is sitting alone at the conference table in the War Room when
   Ivanova comes in. Sheridan tells her it's strange to have the place so
   empty, and though Ivanova insists the war is over, Sheridan isn't so
   sure that it is, with all the trouble back on Earth. The quarantine
   has pretty much shut down Babylon 5, but Sheridan is sure they will
   find a way back from this setback as well. Ivanova asks him why he's
   worried, and though Sheridan insists he isn't, she knows better.
   Sheridan explains that he hasn't spoken to his father much since they
   broke away from Earth, and that his last letter mentioned strangers
   hanging around town, asking questions about his family. Sheridan told
   his parents to get out while they could, but he hasn't gotten any word
   since the embargo. Ivanova says that, being a former diplomat, his
   father couldn't just disappear, but Sheridan is still worried. He asks
   if everything else is okay, and Ivanova tells him that, despite a few
   problems in customs since Zack took over for Garibaldi, they haven't
   had a major incident.
   
   Zack enters the docking bay to find an incident in progress--a minor
   fight, which one of the security guards says was started when several
   new arrivals to the station wouldn't allow their cargo to be
   inspected. They couldn't detect anything from the scans, so Zack moves
   to open a crate, but the owner insists it's private property. Zack
   orders the man to move, but he doesn't. As a last recourse, Zack fires
   his PPG at the crates, which angers the man even further. Zack moves
   to the crates, but before he can open one, it opens itself, and a
   small levitating device floats out. Zack recognizes the device. "It's
   a camera."
   
   "That's right," the man tells him as the camera films Zack and the
   other security officers with their weapons drawn. "A camera. It goes
   with the territory. I'm a reporter and this is my crew. And you just
   made the evening news."
   
   Franklin meets up with Sheridan and tells him that he pulled some of
   his doctors off duty in two other MedLabs to help move the
   cryogenically frozen telepaths in some of the freezing units, which
   are malfunctioning due to overuse, to other working units. Sheridan
   tells him to do what he has to, but wishes he didn't have to keep the
   telepaths frozen. Franklin is worried, though, that they could prove
   dangerous to themselves or others with the leftover Shadow technology
   still in their heads. Sheridan agrees and knows that even though the
   Shadows are gone, they will need to deal with what they left behind
   for a long time. Sheridan's commlink beeps, and a voice informs
   Sheridan of someone's arrival. Sheridan tells him he's on his way. "I
   thought we saw the worst of it with the Shadows, the Vorlons, the
   war..." Sheridan tells Franklin. "But there's something far worse than
   the Shadows: reporters."
   
   Sheridan arrives in his office, and the reporter is only too happy to
   see him. He introduces himself as Dan Randall from ISN, and is quite
   upset since Ivanova threatened to throw him out an airlock unless he
   provided a full manifest of his equipment. Randall says they changed
   the manifest so they would be allowed on the station. Sheridan insists
   they would have let them on, but not their equipment since ISN is only
   a source of propaganda for President Clark, and Randall would never do
   an objective story. Randall insists that there is no such thing as a
   completely objective journalist, but that he, and others still on ISN,
   want to try to slip the truth through in small pieces, the best they
   can do under the circumstances. Randall asks Sheridan to work with him
   so that Sheridan's point of view will be represented and that,
   otherwise, there's no guarantee.
   
   Garibaldi is in Downbelow, speaking with someone about retrieving a
   priceless family artifact, which Garibaldi recognizes as a Drazi
   religious statue the man is using to hide stolen valuables in. He
   makes a deal for its retrieval and a percentage of what's inside.
   Lennier appears and asks Garibaldi why he resigned. Garibaldi says
   he's done his duty, and served his time, and just wants some time to
   make his own life. Lennier tells him that, for the Minbari, it is an
   honor serve one's people, but Garibaldi has had quite enough honor for
   the time being. He asks about Delenn, whom Lennier says is doing well,
   but Garibaldi quickly changes the subject when Lennier starts
   mentioning Sheridan. It's too late, though. "Speak the Devil's name,"
   Garibaldi says, "and he shall appear." Sheridan introduces Randall to
   Lennier, whom he wants to escort Randall around the station so that he
   can be assured of getting the most unbiased opinion possible. Lennier
   starts Randall on his tour, and while no words are exchanged between
   Sheridan and Garibaldi, there is clearly tension in the glances the
   two exchange. Garibaldi picks up the photograph of the Drazi statue,
   and remembers...
   
   He is alone in his prison cell, sitting in a chair, while a ghostly
   voice repeats over and over, "You work for no one but us. You work for
   no one but us." Garibaldi's memory fades and he gets up from his table
   and leaves.
   
   Randall, Lennier, and the news crew are in one of the lifts. Randall
   asks Lennier about the ship he noticed being repaired outside Babylon
   5 when he arrived. Lennier explains that those ships, belonging to the
   League of Non-Aligned of Worlds, were damaged during the war, and are
   being repaired so they will be able to get back home safely. Lennier
   says that the station charges only for the material needed for the
   repairs, which Randall finds very generous.
   
   After making sure the cameras are recording, Randall asks Lennier
   where they are. Lennier explains they are in Downbelow, where those
   who come to Babylon 5 and can't afford to live on the station stay.
   Lennier says that Sheridan is trying to put a stop to the exploitation
   the Lurkers often face by instituting work programs. Just then,
   Franklin and several other medical officers run by, carrying someone
   who just had a heart attack. Franklin explains this, and accepts
   Randall's offer to speak with him later. Just as Franklin is about to
   leave, he receives a call on his commlink from someone in MedLab,
   saying the cryo units are ready for restart. Franklin says he'll be
   right there, and though he tries to keep the conversation discreet,
   the camera, still recording, catches it all on tape.
   
   Lennier leads the reporters through a corridor, where Sheridan and
   Londo are in the midst of a heated discussion, with Londo complaining
   about the lack of heat in his quarters. The camera captures all of
   this as well.
   
   Sheridan and Delenn are sitting together in his office while a young
   woman finishes applying makeup to Delenn's face. Randall is
   interviewing them, and begins by asking them if it was ever their
   intention to break away from Earth. Sheridan insists it wasn't--he
   seceded to protest bombing of civilian targets, and they will rejoin
   once President Clark is out of office. Randall asks if Sheridan still
   believes Clark was responsible for President Santiago's death, and
   Sheridan says that he does, that Clark doesn't let anyhting stand in
   his way. Randall asks Delenn how she feels about all this, and she
   says that she is used to it--this sort of thing happens everywhere.
   Randall comments on how close Sheridan and Delenn have become, and
   asks if it is true that they might marry eventually, which Sheridan
   won't comment on. Randall says that there must be other forces pulling
   against them, but Delenn says that, despite all that, the heart does
   not recognize boundaries on a map, hatred, or wars. She says if others
   don't understand that, she will make them understand. Randall asks if
   they are concerned about the repurcussions, but Sheridan says there is
   no force in the galaxy that can stop all they have accomplished.
   
   Randall arrives at Garibaldi's table in Downbelow, and tells him that
   they are getting ready to leave. He asks Garibaldi if he would like to
   talk about his resignation, but Garibaldi is less than enthused to do
   so. Randall appeals to him, saying that he is the only command staff
   member who was with Babylon 5 from the start. He promises to allow
   Garibaldi to say whatever he likes. Garibaldi remains silent for a
   moment, as he decides what he wants to do.
   
   Ivanova is in Sheridan's office with a tray of food when Sheridan
   comes in with a tray of his own. Planning to eat while they watch the
   ISN broadcast, Ivanova asks if Sheridan is worried, since there will
   no doubt be some bias on the broadcast. Sheridan says that they did
   the best they could, and that they wanted to get it out into the open
   as soon as possible, and since they managed to avoid major crises and
   chose their words very carefully, he feels there is very little ISN
   can do to them. Delenn arrives, and Sheridan turns on his monitor.
   
   "This is an Interstellar Network News special report. Reporting live
   from the ISN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, your host, Alison
   Higgins."
   
   Higgins begins by explaining that, two weeks earlier, they sent Dan
   Randall to Babylon 5 to do a report, which will be shown later in the
   broadcast. She runs through the daily headlines: President Clark
   announced that his troops have reclaimed 75% of the Mars Colony which
   broke away 259 days earlier, and the day has been declared a holiday.
   Hearings also began on anti-Earth activity with testimony given by
   members of the entertainment industry. Lee Parks, a Tri-Vid writer and
   producer, testified, admitting that he used his Tri-Vids to spread
   anti-Earth messages to outside forces to use against Earth. He also
   names three others who helped him--Tri-Vid writer Carleton Jerrico,
   and actors Beth Trumbo and Adrian Mostel. Higgins says Parks was sent
   to a mental hospital where he will receive treatment to one day be
   reaccepted into society.
   
   After a brief interlude with a segment of "This Year in History," the
   Babylon 5 story begins...
   
   "Good evening, I'm Dan Randall. When we first approached the Ministry
   of Information with the idea of travelling to Babylon 5 for this
   story, they advised against. They believed it would put the safety of
   myself and my news crew in jeopardy. But the first rule of journalism
   is, 'You go where the story is.' Still, nothing could have prepared us
   for what we found."
   
   Randall explains that, outside Babylon 5, everything seems to be
   normal, but inside, most human residents are living in filthy and
   dangerous areas of the station, while the best quarters in the station
   are reserved for aliens and those running the station with taxes
   collected from its inhabitants. Randall finds it ironic that the
   Minbari were appointed the keepers of these humans, and runs a clip
   without audio showing Lennier leading him through Downbelow. He
   explains how any attempt at protest by these humans is put down, with
   the humans sedated, as is demonstrated by one of them, on a gurney,
   being escorted away by several medical personnel, including the Chief
   of MedLab.
   
   Randall explains that, as they toured Babylon 5, they learned the
   alien races were in control. Showing film of Captain Sheridan and
   Ambassador Mollari, he asks why Sheridan, a decorated war hero, would
   tolerate this from others.
   
   Randall explains that, to answer these questions, they talked to
   experts. He introduces Dr. William Indiri, Dean of Psychiatry at
   Harvard Medical School, and an expert on xenopsychology and Minbari
   War Syndrome. Indiri explains that many Earth-Minbari War Veterans
   suffer from an inferiority complex, feeling that other races are
   better than humans. Indiri explains that, during the war, under that
   administration, the Minbari were a vastly superior force, which could
   lead those who fought against them to consider them morally superior.
   Randall asks if the disease could cause someone to turn against their
   own race, and Indiri agrees that it is possible, since most people in
   such a situation could feel that an advanced species is closer to God
   than they are, eventually forcing them to turn against everything they
   believe in.
   
   "The second rule of journalism is," Randall explains, "'No one does
   anything without a reason.' They may not admit it, even to themselves,
   but the reason is there. To understand what's been happening on
   Babylon 5 since their break from Earth, you first have to understand
   why." He plays the segment of video taken in Downbelow when Franklin
   responded to a colleague's call about cryo units. "A small piece of
   conversation, overheard by chance. We'll find out what those few words
   really mean when we come back."
   
   After a commercial break, the broadcast resumes, with Randall calling
   attention to one of the ships docked outside Babylon 5 upon his
   arrival. He explains that the warship is one of a fleet used by
   Sheridan and Delenn in their recent military campaign, being fixed at
   the taxpayers' expense. Randall explains that new weapons were added
   to Babylon 5's defense system just prior to their secession from
   Earth, and were used against Earth during the war. Randall shows this
   as another piece of the puzzle, but wants to find the answer to it
   all.
   
   The video taken of Delenn and Sheridan in Sheridan's office is shown.
   On the tape, we hear Randall's voice ask Delenn of possible
   repurcussions. "It will be a struggle," she tells him.
   
   "A struggle against Earth?" Randall asks her.
   
   "Of course. If they don't understand," she says, "we will make them
   understand."
   
   "Anything that gets in the way disappears," Sheridan interjects.
   
   "There's a lot of people back home who might be concerned about what
   you're saying. It sounds as if you're putting the mingling of Human
   and Minbari above the safety of your own world."
   
   "There's no force in the galaxy that can stop what we've done here
   together," Sheridan responds. "Nothing will be able to stop us."
   
   The tape ends, and Randall says that, if it sounds troubling, there is
   good reason. He says that he managed to speak with Garibaldi, the
   former security chief who explained it. More video airs, and Garibaldi
   explains that he feels Sheridan is suffering from a "God complex" and
   is acting like he's the Second Coming, as if he knows what's good for
   everyone else. Garibaldi says he thinks he's gone over the top.
   Garibaldi is sure he'll get in trouble for saying this, but says
   someone had to say it.
   
   Randall continues by saying that, using information obtained aboard
   Babylon 5, they were able to slip into a restricted area. The video
   airs, with Randall, on the tape, explaining what he's seeing: A large
   number of cryogenic freezing units in use. Babylon 5 should only be
   operating four or five at a time, and in a limited capacity. None of
   the names on the units match those in the station's logs. He wants to
   know where the people came from, and why they are there.
   
   Randall explains that this is their Rosetta Stone. The humans come
   from Downbelow, captured and sedated by Franklin's staff. Meanwhile,
   alien ships are being built and repaired outside the station. Randall
   says that you never build a fleet unless you're prepared to use it,
   and he and others at ISN believe they know why.
   
   After another commercial break, the broadcast resumes, and Randall
   introduces one last interview, which is significant for all that is
   denied in it. The video shows Franklin, in MedLab, explaining his job.
   Randall asks how long patients stay on the station, and Franklin says
   they don't stay long, since Medlab aren't equipped to handle long-term
   stays. Randall asks if he ever uses cryogenic freezers, and Franklin
   says he does it very rarely, and that they aren't using any at all at
   the moment.
   
   "Rule number three," Randall says, as the camera returns to the ISN
   news desk. "People only lie when they have something to hide. We know
   there are humans in cryo on Babylon 5. We saw them, as did you. So
   what are they hiding?" Prodded by Randall, Dr. Indiri speculates that
   Sheridan's Minbari War syndrome is causing him to want to change
   humans to be more like Minbari.
   
   Randall explains that, with all they've shown, the truth is
   self-evident, once you find they key. The key, he feels, is Delenn,
   around whom all of what they uncovered revolves. Randall suggests that
   the Minbari surrendered at the Battle of the Line so they could
   destroy humanity from within instead. Though he says the idea of
   mixing human and Minbari DNA may sound absurd, it has already
   happened, with Delenn, when she became half-human. Randall concludes
   that it must be Sheridan's plan to show others how good it can be to
   be half alien and, should they disagree, or not want to go along with
   the experiments, he will use the alien fleet he is assembling against
   them, to "make them understand." Randall says that the fault is not
   Sheridan's, since Earthforce should have discovered his disease
   earlier and tried to cure it. This problem was only made worse by his
   Minbari War Syndrome, coupled with the loss of his family's home in a
   fire the week before resulting in his father's disappearance, and the
   pressures of command.
   
   "Our job," Randall concludes, "is to report the news. Not to make it,
   or guide it. But from this reporter's perspective, the situation on
   Babylon 5 is deteriorating quickly, and must be dealt with. The
   quarantine order will help prevent more humans from falling prey to
   this genetics program, but it's only a short-term solution. As for
   Sheridan, he does not deserve our scorn, our anger, or our contempt.
   He is a war veteran, and that should at least earn him our sympathy.
   We here at ISN hope he receives the best care possible so he can
   someday come back to us. This is Dan Randall at ISN. Goodnight."
   
   The broadcast ends. Ivanova, directly in front of the monitor, with a
   great amount of anger on her face, can do nothing but storm out of the
   room. Delenn, initially seated, goes to Sheridan who stands, silently,
   facing the wall. He will not speak to her, and he will not turn to
   look at her. She goes after Ivanova. After a moment, Sheridan turns
   the monitor off.

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      [15]Last update: June 6, 1997

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