lurkers-guide/synops/004

<p>  A reporter from Interstellar Network News has arrived on
Babylon 5, to cover the second anniversary of the opening of
Babylon 5 (an event which was extremely unlikely, considering the
fate of the previous Babylon stations, according to the reporter). 
Unfortunately for her, Sinclair is on a mission to check out a
damaged transport and is therefore unavailable for an interview.
<p>  At the medical lab, Dr. Franklin is greeted by an old
professor of his, Dr. Vance Hendricks.  Hendricks offers Franklin
an "adventure, very possibly the biggest adventure you've ever
had."  Hendricks, however, does not explain anything to Franklin
yet--he explains that Franklin will find out in due time.
<p>  At the customs center on B5, material entering the station is
checked for security reasons--any organic matter or other, possibly
dangerous substances must be quarantined.  At this particular time,
a seemingly uneventful search is being carried out.  However, the
attendant carrying out the search notices a possible security
violation in the cargo of a certain individual, Nelson Drake--it
appears that one of his suitcases is arranged so as to hide
something.  "If I didn't know any better, I might think you were
trying to smuggle something in," comments the attendant on duty. 
Nelson waits for the appropriate moment, then kills the attendant--
and brings his contraband material aboard the station.
<p>
<img src="/lurk/gif/004/cargo.gif" align=middle> Inspecting the cargo.
<p>  Dr. Franklin is called to examine the attendant that was
killed.  He finds that the attendant was almost certainly died of
natural causes--a heart attack.  However, at the insistence of
Garibaldi and Sinclair (who has arrived back at the station),
Franklin agrees to perform a thorough autopsy.
<p>  Franklin returns to the medical lab in order to meet with Dr.
Hendricks to find out what this "adventure" was that Hendricks
spoke about.  Hendricks explains that he needs Franklin's help to
study some artifacts found at a recent dig on an alien planet. 
First, he introduces Franklin to his assistant--none other than
Nelson Drake.  Nelson opens the container that holds the artifacts--
<p>  --and a sudden energy spike is detected on the bridge.
<p>  Meanwhile, at the medical lab, Hendricks explains that he was
on a dig at Ikarra VII, sponsored by
a corporation known as "Interplanetary Expeditions."  He found some
thousand-year-old Ikarran artifacts sealed deeply in a vault.  He
asks Franklin to run these artifacts through his medical scanners. 
Franklin complies and (as Hendricks apparently expected) finds that
the artifacts are composed of living tissue--they are an example of
organic technology--"the one trick that Earth hasn't been able to
crack," according to Hendricks.  Franklin is amazed, but suddenly
asks Hendricks why he wasn't informed of these artifacts as soon as
Hendricks arrived on the station--since organic material must be
quarantined before it is allowed on the station.  Hendricks simply
replies that the quarantine was undergone at their previous
location.  When Franklin comments that there are surely better
facilities back on Earth, Hendricks only insists that he needs
someone he can trust.  Hendricks entices Franklin, saying that
Franklin will achieve his dream of "going down in the history
books" if he goes along with Hendricks.  Franklin, at length,
agrees.
<p>  Later, Nelson is in his quarters when one of the artifacts
seems to come alive.  It releases a powerful energy surge toward
Nelson, which propels him across the room.  This energy surge
apparently has had some physiological effect on Nelson, who notices
(a short time after) that his skin is undergoing some type of
metamorphosis.
<p>  On the bridge, Sinclair is questioning Garibaldi about the
dead customs attendant--he wonders if the autopsy has shown
anything yet.  The death, according to Garibaldi, still seems to
have been a natural one--nothing abnormal has been found yet,
although the autopsy is not yet complete.  Ivanova reports that
some unusual energy readings have been detected--she is presently
investigating them.  Further, she reminds Sinclair of his interview
with the ISN reporter.  Sinclair acknowledges this, but it is clear
the is not looking forward to it.  Garibaldi asks him why he is so
adverse to this interview; Sinclair replies that the last time he
was called for an interview (in which he was instructed to "relax
and say what I really felt"), he was shortly transferred to a far-away
outpost as a result.
<p>  Franklin and Hendricks have meanwhile, for the last fifteen
hours, been studying the organic artifacts.  Franklin suddenly asks
Hendricks what will happen when and if they finally figure out how
the organic technology works.  Hendricks replies that they will
sell it to an Earth corporation, but Franklin expresses a certain
resentment at this--Franklin says how he always thought Hendricks
was the kind of man who made his own discoveries, rather than stole
them from old alien civilizations.  "Granted, this may be important,"
says Franklin, "but ... it's a shortcut.... Feels a little
like grave-robbing."  Hendricks replies that the only way to really
explore the galaxy is through corporation grants--he explains the
wondrous things he's seen on corporation-financed missions. 
Franklin then confronts Hendricks with the fact that he cannot find
any information on the corporation that supposedly financed the
expedition on which these artifacts were discovered.  Hendricks
avoids the question and promises to explain everything the
following day.
<p>  Garibaldi is meeting with the reporter, trying to explain to
her about his background with Sinclair and B5.  She interrupts him,
and confronts him with that background:  "I've come across several
rumors surrounding your record prior to Babylon 5," she says. 
"That you were fired five times for unspecified personal problems
and that this is your last chance to make good."  Garibaldi
vehemently denies comment.
<p>  The organic artifacts, in Nelson's quarters, are strengthening
their hold over Nelson.  He is falling more and more under their
control.
<p>  When Dr. Franklin next enters the medical lab, he is surprised
to find Nelson standing there.  Nelson has undergone some strange
metamorphosis; he shoots Franklin, saying only one word:  "Protect."
<p>  Later, Garibaldi is informing Sinclair about the incident that
just happened to Franklin.  They both go to visit Franklin in the
infirmary.  Franklin explains to them that the weapon Nelson used
to shoot him had a similar design to the organic artifacts. 
Garibaldi is surprised to hear that the artifacts are organic; he
asks Franklin if they were checked at customs.  Franklin can only
reply that Hendricks told him that they were checked--he can't
offer any guarantee.
<p>  Nelson is meanwhile walking around some obscure level of B5. 
He has undergone an extreme metamorphosis; he is no longer
recognizable as Nelson.
<p>  Sinclair goes to confront Dr. Hendricks.  Sinclair tells him
that, according to Franklin, the armor that Nelson was wearing was
very similar to the organic artifacts that Hendricks brought
aboard.  Garibaldi adds that the artifacts were brought on to the
station illegally--somehow, they were not put through the required
quarantine, either on B5 or at Hendricks's previous location. 
Hendricks says that he knows as little as Sinclair and Garibaldi
know--he says that Nelson told him that they were, indeed,
quarantined.  However, Sinclair explains that, whether or not
Nelson was under Hendricks's orders, Hendricks will be held
personally responsible for the incident.  Hendricks, when asked,
says that the organic artifacts have limited energy and might
attach themselves to another organism to achieve mobility; he
cannot, however, explain why they may have attached themselves to
Nelson but to no one else who has been exposed to them.  He guesses
that the artifacts are now controlling Nelson; he cannot, however,
explain =why= the artifacts might take him over.  He says that he
will need to study the artifacts further in order to figure out
their purpose and methods.  Sinclair allows him to assist Franklin
in further research.
<p>  Nelson, under the control of the artifacts, shoots and kills
a group of people who walk by him (on the obscure level where he
was walking before).  Again, he says, "Protect!"
<p>
<img src="/lurk/gif/004/protect.gif" align=middle> "Protect!"
<p>  Simultaneously, on the bridge, another energy surge is
detected.  They pinpoint the location of the surge and determine
that it is 20% more powerful than the previous surge.
<p>  Garibaldi reports that there are two deaths on the level known
as "Grey-13."  Garibaldi leads a security team to that area. 
Sinclair calls a "Level 2 Alert."  Just then, the reporter from ISN
enters the bridge, claiming to be interested in whatever problem is
occurring--"the people have a right to know";
Sinclair orders her to leave.
<p>  Garibaldi's security team has found Nelson.  The team fires at
Nelson, but Nelson is unharmed.  Nelson continues toward the place
that he was originally heading.
<p>  Franklin, while studying the artifacts with Hendricks,
discovers a certain device in Nelson's belongings.  He hides the
device from Hendricks's view.  Meanwhile, the study of the
artifacts continues.
<p>  Sinclair, meanwhile, guesses that Nelson is heading toward the
Central Corridor, the area with the greatest population and,
consequently, the area where Nelson can do the most damage. 
Ivanova reports that, although Nelson must rest after every time he
attacks, his periods of rest are becoming shorter--and his power is
increasing each time.  Sinclair realizes that their next chance to
stop Nelson may be their last chance.
<p>  Franklin has finally accesses the memory banks of the
artifacts; he reports to Sinclair what he has found:  In the course
of Ikarran history, the Ikarrans were invaded many times.  Because of
these repeated attacks, they created organic weapons to use against
their enemies.  Because it would take too long to create an
artificially-intelligent weapon, they incorporated the personality
matrix and brain patterns of one of their researchers, known as
Tumar.  Because of the possibility,
however, that their enemies might "fool" the weapons (for the
weapons have personalities), the Ikarrans programmed their weapons
not to accept commands from anyone but "pure Ikarrans."  However, as
Franklin points out (with a bit of disgust), there is no clear way
to define a "pure" Ikarran--"no one is pure," he says.  Franklin
continues to explain that a coalition of religious fanatics and
military extremists defined what it meant to be a "pure" Ikarran--
their standards were based on ideology rather than science. 
(Sinclair points out the similarities to Hitler's "perfect Aryan"
idea in WWII).  Unfortunately for everyone involved, after the
weapons killed the enemies of the Ikarrans, they turned on the
Ikarrans themselves, killing anyone who didn't =perfectly= match the
standards of what a "pure Ikarran" was.  They kept killing everyone
until the last Ikarran was dead.  Then, through centuries of disuse
and neglect, the weapons failed.  However, the artifacts that
Hendricks discovered contained one of these weapons--and it has
activated itself by attaching itself onto Nelson.  Sinclair has an
idea how to stop it:  if the weapon has a personality, he will try
to contact that personality and reason with it, thereby attempting
to bypass the programming.
<p>  First, however, Garibaldi and Sinclair set up an extremely
powerful attack against Nelson.  The attack fails completely; it
doesn't even slow Nelson down.
<p>
<img src="/lurk/gif/004/firefight.gif" align=middle> Nelson under attack.
<p>
Sinclair, therefore, feels he has
no other choice but to try to speak with the personality--with
Tumar.  "I'm going to try to make it mad," says Sinclair; he
explains that, by speaking with the personality of the weapon, he
will try to lure Nelson to the docking area, which they can detach
and eject--"armored or not, nothing can live in a vacuum." 
Garibaldi objects, but Sinclair goes anyway.
<p>  Sinclair speaks to the weapon.  He attempts to anger it by
saying (truthfully) that the Ikarran race is dead.  Sinclair's plan
works--Nelson follows him to the airlock.  Sinclair explains the
whole situation to Nelson--how the weapons failed in their mission,
and how Ikarra was destroyed by their own hand.  "Your own people--
how pure were they?  They didn't feed you facts; they fed you
propaganda.  They programmed you with standards of genetic purity
no one could match--not even your own people."  Then, at the last
minute, Sinclair tells the weapon to search Nelson's memory (for
Nelson has seen the dead Ikarra).  The weapon does this, and
realizes that what Sinclair has said is true.  He is suddenly
overwhelmed with guilt; he drops to his knees, asking his long dead
race to forgive him.  Then, he destroys the organic artifact that
has taken over Nelson--Nelson's metamorphosis is thereby undone,
and Nelson falls to the grounds, rid of the artifact.
<p>  Later, after the whole incident has passed, Franklin confronts
Hendricks.  He explains that he found a cardiac stimulator in
Nelson's belongings--the device, if used on a healthy person, can
precipitate a heart attack.  Further, Franklin explains that he has
found two small marks in the skin of the dead customs attendant--
marks which were so small that they were overlooked; the marks
perfectly match the cardiac stimulator's prongs.  Franklin tells
Hendricks that he has spoken with Nelson, and that Nelson confirms
Franklin's suspicions:  Nelson was acting under Hendricks's orders
the whole time.  Hendricks admits that this is true; he explains
that "Interplanetary Expeditions," the corporation that financed
the Ikarran dig, is a front for a bio-weapons supplier.  Hendricks
says that he suspected that the artifacts were organic weapons, so,
instead of turning in the artifacts right away for standard
commission, he came to Franklin in order to study them.  If the
artifacts were indeed bio-weapons, he felt, they would be worth
millions--or more.
<p>  "You deliberately endangered a quarter of a million humans and
aliens just to raise your profit margin?" asks Franklin.
<p>  Hendricks explains that he was sure he could control the
artifacts--he never expected any harmful incident.  He also says
that he didn't know the customs guard was murdered--Nelson said
that he would handle it, so Hendricks didn't question him. 
Franklin realizes that this was why the weapon attached itself to
Nelson, not to anyone else--the program needed someone willing to
kill.  Hendricks makes one final appeal to Franklin--he asks
Franklin not to turn him in.  If Franklin doesn't turn him in, says
Hendricks, then they will share the profits of the sale of the
artifacts.  However, just at that moment, two security guards
arrive.  "It's too late," says Franklin, almost sadly.
<p>  Meanwhile, Garibaldi confronts Sinclair on another matter.  To
do justice to this scene, I feel I must include Garibaldi's
dialogue verbatim:  "The whole stations talking about how you were
willing to risk your life to stop that thing.... This is the third
time in the last year you've put yourself on the line like this....
Jeff, you're my friend.  You've been my friend a lot longer than
you've been my commanding officer so I think I'm entitled to say
this.  We were both in Earth Force during the war; I wasn't on the
line but I did my share.  I know a lot of guys who came out of the
war--changed.  Some came out better; some came out worse.  A lot of
them have this problem:  the war gave them definition, direction,
purpose.  Without it, they don't know how to fit in anymore, so
they keep looking for ways to go in a blaze of glory.  Some people
call that being a hero--maybe so.  I don't know; I've never been
one.  Me?  I think they're looking for something worth dying for
because it's easier than finding something worth living for."
<p>  Sinclair sadly, thoughtfully admits that he doesn't have an
answer to this--although he also admits that he should.
<p>  Franklin and Ivanova are speaking in the war.  He expresses
his disgust at fundamental ideals of "purity" and "perfection"--he
wonders if what just happened is a preview of what's to come,
mentioning that there are many hate groups on Earth targeted
against aliens.  Ivanova replies that she doesn't think that
humanity would be so foolish--that, hopefully, they could learn
from the past.  Just at the moment, however, two officials walk up
to Franklin, demanding that he turn over the artifacts to them, on
authority of Earth Force Defense, Bio-Weapons Division, in order
that they can study them for purposes of planetary security.
<p>  The reporter has finally caught up with Sinclair, and the
interview has been carried out.  The reporter asks Sinclair if,
after what he's been through, he feels that it's worth it for
humanity to continue their presence in space.  "We have to stay
here," he replies. "Eventually our sun will grow
cold, and go out."  When this happens, he explains, the entire
culture of Earth will be destroyed--a culture and history that he
feels are worth preserving.  Therefore, humanity must go to the
stars.
<p>
Shawn Bayern
<em>bayern@cshl.org</em>
<hr>
Copyright 1994, Shawn Bayern.  All rights reserved.  Permission is
granted to distribute this synopsis <strong>noncommercially</strong> as long as
the synopsis and this copyright notice remain intact.  Babylon 5 is
a copyright of the PTN Consortium; no infringement of that
copyright is intended by writing these synopses.