lurkers-guide/synops/008

<p>    A solemn-looking man, known to us only as "Knight Two," has
arrived on Babylon 5.  Shortly after his arrival, he sees another
man ("Knight One") in the waiting area and moves over to him
quietly.
<p>    Meanwhile, right outside the waiting area, a security officer
named Benson is getting beaten up by two gamblers to whom he owes
a significant sum of money.  The gamblers threaten him with death
if he does not pay them within 24 hours.
<p>    Knight Two has moved into his quarters.  Knight One arrives,
bringing a three-dimensional image projector with him.  He
activates it, and it shows a lifelike picture of Commander
Sinclair.  "I've identified the target," he says.
<p>    Sinclair and Garibaldi have summoned security officer Benson
in order to question him about possible debts he's been accumulating.
They inform Benson that B5 security officers are strictly
limited in their gambling--if an officer becomes indebted to the
"wrong people," he would become vulnerable to blackmail, resulting
in a security risk to the station.  Garibaldi claims to have
information that Benson has been exceeding the gambling limits, but
Benson insists that he's done nothing wrong.  Sinclair, however,
not wanting to take any chances, removes Benson from the active
duty roster pending an investigation in the matter.  After Benson
leaves, Garibaldi comments that he believes Benson is lying.     
<p>    "Everyone lies, Michael," replies Sinclair.  "The innocent lie
because they don't want to be blamed for something they didn't do,
and the guilty lie because they don't have any other choice."     
Knight Two and Knight One are building a complex gadget in Knight
Two's quarters.  They have everything they need except for a power
source; Knight One claims that it is impossible to smuggle an
energy source onto the station because it would be picked up by the
scanners.  "So I improvised.  It'll be here."
<p>    Benson, in the meantime, has stealthily made his way to a
storage room ...
<p>    In the medical lab, Dr. Franklin is examining Delenn.  He
expresses his thanks to Delenn for allowing him to examine her; he
says that he rarely gets the chance to examine Minbari--unless
there's something wrong with one of them; he says that to have data
on a healthy Minbari will give him a basis from which to operate. 
After the examination, Delenn rises and asks Franklin about a rumor
she heard from one of the other doctors--that Franklin used to
hitchhike aboard spaceships.  Franklin confirms this rumor; he had
"wanted to see it all," so he traded his services as a doctor in
exchange for free passage on various ships.  He explains how he did
this until the Earth-Minbari war started, but then pauses.  Delenn
asks him if he was involved in the war.  He replies that toward the
end of the war, all xenobiologists were asked by Earth Force to
turn over their notes on Minbari physiology so that effective
genetic and biological weapons could be created.  Delenn asks him
if he did, indeed, hand over his notes.
<p>    "I took an oath that <em>all</em> life is sacred.  I destroyed my
notes rather than have them used for killing," he answers.
<p>    Delenn smiles and thanks him.  When Franklin asks her,
however, what her involvement in the war was, she only answers that
the matter is "a topic for another time."
<p>    Benson, after securing an energy pod from the storage area,
delivers it to Knight Two's quarters.  The Knights promise to pay
him promptly.  After Benson leaves, the Knights connect the energy
supply to the device they've been building.  "I think we're ready
to proceed," they agree.
<p>    Sinclair, asleep in his quarters, is having a traumatic dream
about the Battle of the Line, the final battle of the Earth-Minbari
war.  Sinclair's squadron is fighting a Minbari cruiser.  One of
Sinclair's friends, Mitchell, ignores one of Sinclair's suggestions
and breaks from formation, feeling that he can get a clear shot at
the Minbari ship.  Sinclair has a feeling, however, that Mitchell
is entering a trap.  Just as he realizes that his friend is about
to die ... he wakes up and rises to get himself a drink.  As he
looks around his room, he notices that his computer is not working. 
He calls a maintenance team, but there is no response.  Worried, he
calls security; again, there is no response.  He gets dressed
quickly and leaves his quarters, running to the bridge.
<p>
<a href="/lurk/ftp/Pictures/Scenes/sinclzoc.gif"><img
src="/lurk/gif/008/sinclzoc.gif" align="middle"></a>Sinclair on his
way to the bridge.
<p>When he
gets to the bridge, however, it is empty, and the computer is not
activated.  He tries communicating with Earth Central, but does not
receive a response.  Finally, he attempts to activate the computer;
at length, the computer responds.  Sinclair, slightly relieved,
asks the computer if an evacuation of B5 has been ordered; the
computer replies that there was no evacuation.  Sinclair then asks
the computer to scan for other life forms on B5; sure enough, the
computer finds one other life form and notifies Sinclair of the
life form's position.  Sinclair runs to the location, but finds
nothing at first.  "What the hell is going on around here," he asks
himself.
<p>    Suddenly, the lights in the corridor start flashing off, one
by one, and a mysterious voice answers him.  "Maybe you're asleep. 
Maybe you're insane.  Maybe you're dead.  Maybe you're in Hell. 
Not that it matters much, Commander Sinclair, because wherever you
are, wherever you go, you're mine!"  Sinclair turns around to find
Knight Two staring at him.
<p>
<a href="/lurk/ftp/Pictures/Scenes/knight2-1.jpg"><img
src="/lurk/gif/008/knight2-1.gif" align="middle"></a>"You're mine."
<p>    Delenn has arrived at Garibaldi's quarters.  She appears
concerned and tells Garibaldi that she was supposed to meet with
Sinclair an hour before.  Garibaldi calls Sinclair and receives no
response; sharing now in Delenn's concern, he begins to search for
Sinclair personally.
<p>    Sinclair angrily asks Knight Two what he's done to Babylon 5;
Knight Two replies that he hasn't done anything.  He explains to
Sinclair that they are both inside a "cerebral matrix" (a "virtual-reality
cybernet").  "It's shadow-play," explains Knight Two,
"without form or substance.  But I'm real, commander, and you're
real.  And the pain--the pain for you is also real."  Knight Two
steps back, and a "cerebral discharge" surrounds Sinclair, putting
him through agonizing pain.
<p>    Garibaldi has rushed to Sinclair's quarters.  When he enters
the quarters, however, he finds them empty.  Alarmed, he contacts
Ivanova and explains the situation to her.
<p>    Knight Two, outside the matrix, orders Knight One to cut the
cerebral discharge.  Inside the matrix, he begins to speak with
Sinclair again.  He notices how important the station is to
Sinclair--how his thoughts seem to be rooted in Babylon 5.  He
explains to Sinclair that they will "walk together across the
bridge of synapses and neurons into the very heart of your
memories" in order to find the truth about what happened to
Sinclair at the Battle of the Line.  Knight Two tells Sinclair that
he doesn't believe the testimony that Sinclair gave to Earth Force
Defense after the war:  that, during the twenty-four hour period
where he was out of contact with Earth Force Defense, he merely
blacked out.  "We're finally going to get to the truth," Knight Two
says, "even if it kills you."
<p>    Garibaldi, Ivanova, and Dr. Franklin are discussing strategies
to find Sinclair.  Garibaldi has organized a search party, drawn
from all nonessential B5 personnel, but that the search still might
take a few days.  Franklin warns that "a few days" might be too
long if Sinclair were injured.  Ivanova has contacted a nearby
station and asked them to track any ships that have left B5 in the
last eight hours.  Garibaldi suggests that they also send a few
maintenance "bots" to patrol the hull of B5--"If someone shoved
[Sinclair's body] outside, the station's gravity won't let it get 
far.  Just in case."
<p>    "Mr. Garibaldi," Ivanova replies, "there are days I'm very
glad I don't have to think the way you do."
<p>    Meanwhile, inside Sinclair's mind, Knight Two is continuing
his probing into Sinclair's mind.  "Your name is Jeffrey David
Sinclair.  Rank: commander.  Age: 39.  Born on Mars Colony, May 3,
2218, 9:15 A.M., Earth Standard Time.  Enlisted in Earth Force
Defense, 2237; promoted to fighter pilot, 2240; promoted again to
squad leader less than a year later.... Smart money said you'd make
admiral one day.  So what happened, <em>commander</em>?  Why'd you
fall off the merry-go-round?"
<p>
<a href="/lurk/ftp/Pictures/Scenes/jsdrill.jpg"><img
src="/lurk/gif/008/jsdrill.gif" align="middle"></a>Sinclair listens to his
dossier.
<p>    Sinclair merely tells him to "go to hell."  He refuses to tell
Knight Two anything.  "I'm betting you don't have a lot of time. 
Security's probably tearing this place upside down, looking for
me."
<p>    "Assuming you're still on Babylon 5," replies Knight Two. 
Proceeding with his search for information, Knight Two tries to get
Sinclair to reveal "the truth" by conjuring up an image of
Mitchell, Sinclair's old friend and fellow officer who died in the
Battle of the Line.  Knight Two's plan appears to be working,
because as soon as Sinclair sees Mitchell, his old memories of the
Battle of the Line spring to the forefront of his mind.  Sinclair
relives the battle--he sees again what he saw in his dream, except
that this time, he actually sees Mitchell's ship exploding.  After
that part of the battle plays itself out, Mitchell begins to speak
with Sinclair again.  At first, Sinclair refuses to speak with
Mitchell; he tells himself that Mitchell's image is just an
illusion.  When Mitchell, however, accuses Sinclair of being a
traitor ("We fought for you.  We fought beside you on the Line.  We
swore we would all go down together, but you're alive, and we're
dead, because of you!" says Mitchell), Sinclair feels that he has
to respond.  He replies, "I tried!  I tried!"
<p>    "Tried to do what, commander?" asks Knight Two.
<p>    Sinclair answers by reliving the part of the Battle of the
Line where he tries to ram the Minbari cruiser.  Knight Two urges
Sinclair to continue because, as Sinclair himself said, all of the
incidents which Knight Two has seen so far were in Sinclair's
original report of the battle ten years ago.  Sinclair, however,
claims that he cannot continue--"I don't remember.  I blacked out. 
I've never been able to remember!"
<p>    Knight Two moves closer to Sinclair.  "You don't want to
remember!  You don't want to remember the twenty-four hours in
which you betrayed your own race.  The day you became a traitor. 
The day you sold out--"
<p>    "That's enough!" screams Sinclair.  As he says this, he
suddenly hits Knight Two in the stomach.  Knight Two, taken by
surprise, vanishes from the matrix without a trace.  "Well, well. 
Looks like the pain is real for both of us," comments Sinclair.   
<p> Delenn is talking with Ivanova; Delenn explains how concerned she
is and offers her assistance in finding Sinclair, but Ivanova says
that they're already doing everything they can to find Sinclair. 
Delenn suggests the use of the station's telepath, Talia Winters,
but Ivanova explains that Winters is only a P-5 and, consequently,
needs to be in close proximity with people in order to scan them. 
Winter's isn't trained, according to Ivanova, for a search-and-recover
mission.
<p>    Knight One, meanwhile, is concerned about Knight Two, who
snapped out of the cybernet suddenly.  Knight Two, however, claims
that he's all right.  He says that he needs to be put back into the
cybernet quickly, for Sinclair was right--they don't have much
time.  Knight One estimates that the search parties on the station
will find them on B5 in about four hours.  "He's tough.  Breaking
him isn't going to be easy," says Knight Two.  Knight Two orders
Knight One to increase both the power of the cybernet and the
dosage of psychotropic drugs with which Sinclair is being injected. 
"We're close.... The more I walk through his mind, the more I'm
convinced he's hiding something," explains Knight Two.
<p>    One of the security officers is giving a report to Garibaldi. 
He explains how, although the search teams have covered a lot of
territory, there still is no sign of Sinclair.  Garibaldi orders
the officer to split the search teams into even smaller units--he
also orders the officer to bring in every possible available
officer.  The officer explains how he's already brought in
everyone--"even Benson."  Garibaldi is annoyed that Benson was
brought back to duty, but the security officer explains that he
checked Benson's record, and Benson isn't in any debts.  In fact,
he says, there's even a surplus in Benson's account.  Garibaldi,
however, is suspicious, for the other day, the account was empty. 
He checks the account again and finds that one very large deposit
was made, followed by numerous withdrawals.  Garibaldi assumes that
these withdrawals were used to pay off debts--and notes that the
large deposit was made only four hours before Sinclair was known to
be missing.  Garibaldi orders the security officer to find and
bring back Benson for questioning.
<p>    Knight Two has reentered the cybernet.  Again, he asks
Sinclair for the truth about the Battle of the Line.  Sinclair
suddenly finds himself surrounded by a circle of people wearing
grey cloaks.  "What are you doing here?" he asks.  "What do you
want?"  Before he receives an answer, however, one of the grey
figures shoots him.
<p>    Meanwhile, Benson has arrived at Knight Two's quarters.  When
Knight One answers the door, Benson frantically asks for protection.
"You've got to help me.  The whole station's looking for me. 
They think I had something to do with the commander's disapp--" 
Suddenly, Benson hears a scream from the back of the room.  He
curiously enters the quarters and is surprised to find Commander
Sinclair attached to the cybernet device.  He's not given the
chance to think about it for too long, however, for Knight One
shoots Benson almost immediately.
<p>    Back in the cybernet, Knight Two confronts Sinclair about the
grey figures.  He asks Sinclair to reveal what he's hiding, but
Sinclair insists that he's not hiding anything.
<p>    "We all hide things, commander.  That's why we bounced back
[to the station] again, isn't it?  This is where you hide, behind
duty and responsibility and obligation," says Knight Two.
<p>    "Things you'd never understand!" replies Sinclair.
<p>    Knight Two disagrees, however.  "We're both patriots in our
own way.  If I fail, more will come after me until the job is
finished."  He presses Sinclair again, telling him that they're
going to find out what Sinclair is hiding.
<p>    Some security officers have found a body floating outside the
hull of Babylon 5.  The body turns out to be Benson's.
<p>    Meanwhile, in the cybernet, Knight Two is again expressing his
disbelief at Sinclair's rendition of the events at the Line. 
Knight Two asserts that Sinclair could not have simply blacked out,
for his ship "disappeared" from the sensing screens.  Sinclair,
however, counters that the postwar hearings proved that the screens
malfunctioned.  Knight Two explains what he believes to be the
sequence of events that occurred at the Line:  The Minbari (Knight
Two says) realized the extent and power of Earth Force defense and
realized how difficult it would be to invade Earth.  Therefore,
they surrendered and decided to work through more covert means.  At
the Battle of the Line, Sinclair surrendered to the Minbari rather
than give up his life.  The Minbari took him aboard and asked him
to work for them--to be a covert operative.  "You agreed [to work
for them].  You and God-knows-how-many-other people."  
<p>    "You're insane.  I never betrayed Earth," insists Sinclair,
but Knight Two questions him--if Sinclair doesn't remember what
happened, how can he be sure he wasn't a traitor?
<p>    Sinclair, however, becomes annoyed with Knight Two:  "That's
enough!  You talk about the war.  You talk about Mitchell and the
rest, but you didn't know them.  They were my friends.  I watched
them die, one by one.  For years afterwards, whenever I saw a
Minbari, I had to fight the urge to strangle them with my bare
hands.... We never had a chance.... When I looked at those ships,
I didn't just see my death.  I saw the death of the whole damn
human race."
<p>    "Then why did they surrender?" asks Knight Two.
<p>    "I don't know.  Maybe the universe blinked.  Maybe God changed
his mind.  All I know is that we got a second chance."
<p>
<a name="minbari-assassin">
Knight Two is still skeptical.  He asks Sinclair if anything
has ever made him doubt his story--that he simply "blacked out." 
Sinclair replies that nothing ever made him question it--except for
what the Minbari who tried to kill Ambassador Kosh said to
him:  "There is a hole in your mind."
</a>
(cf: <a href="/lurk/guide/000.html">"The Gathering"</a>)
At Knight Two's further prompting--and after Knight Two convinces
Sinclair that Sinclair, himself, wants to know what happened--
Sinclair allows his memories to overcome him again.  He again
experiences the Battle of the Line.  He sees what he has seen
before; except, this time, the take him further.  The Minbari
cruiser stops his attempt to ram into it.  The cruiser uses some
type of energy field to pull Sinclair's ship in.  Sinclair is taken
aboard the cruiser and transported to a room where a bunch of grey
figures stand.  At first, he is hanging in the air, arms bound to
the bottom of a triangular metal frame.  One of the figures holds
up a small metal device (cf.
<a href="/lurk/guide/020.html">"Babylon Squared"</a>) that shimmers
with some kind of energy.
<p>
Later, the grey figures form a circle around Sinclair, who has been
freed.
Suddenly, he moves over to one of the grey figures and pulls back
the veil that covers the figure's face.  "I know you.  I know who
you are.  I <em>know</em> you," says Sinclair.  Before he can say any
more, however, another grey figure shoots him and knocks him out. 
<p>    Outside the cybernet, however, Sinclair gathers up enough
strength to break the shackles that bind him to the cybernet
device.  As he disconnects from the machine, the feedback knocks
out Knight Two.  Knight One storms into the room, but Sinclair
punches him, knocking him out.  He picks up a gun and escapes from
the room.  He is delusional, however; he mumbles to himself about
how the Minbari have broken through and how he must get back to his
ship.
<p>    Sinclair begins running through B5's corridors.  One officer,
a member of the search party, sees Sinclair and beckons to him. 
Sinclair, however, in his delusional state, believes she is a
Minbari and shoots at her.  Fortunately, he does not kill her, and
she links in with Ivanova.  She begins to explain that she has seen
the commander; however, before she can finish, Knight One shoots
her in the back.
<p>    Knight One follows Sinclair; they shoot at each other
unsuccessfully.  Garibaldi finally finds Sinclair, but is utterly
surprised when he is shot at by his commander.  Dr. Franklin, a few
seconds later, links in and informs Garibaldi that he has found the
room where he believes Sinclair was held.  Franklin believes that
Sinclair may have been given large dosages of psychotropic drugs
and may consequently be delusional or even dangerous.
<p>
<a name="recognize-delenn">
    As Garibaldi is hiding under a table, Delenn enters the room
and approaches Sinclair slowly.  She ignores Garibaldi's warnings
and continues her approach.  When she gets close enough to
Sinclair, she tells him that he's safe now and that nobody will
harm him.  He doesn't listen to her, however; he can only picture
the unveiling of the grey figure ten years ago--the grey figure who
he now knows to be Delenn, though she looked younger then and had
a silver triangle on her forehead.  "I know you!" he tells her.  
</a>
<p>    "I'm your friend, commander.  Ambassador Delenn.  Your
friend," she replies.
<p>    "No!" he says, as he raises his gun.  For a moment, it appears
as if he's going to shoot her.  Instead, however, he points his gun
in a slightly different direction and shoots Knight One, who had
just arisen and was about to shoot at Sinclair.  Knight One drops
to the floor, dead.
<p>    "Welcome home," says Delenn.
<p>    One day later, Sinclair awakes in the medical lab.  Dr.
Franklin has finally flushed the psychotropic drugs from Sinclair's
system.  Sinclair asks to see Knight Two, who has been taken;
Garibaldi replies, however, that Knight Two is about to leave the
station.  Earth Central has decided to exercise jurisdiction in
this case because they believe Knight Two to be a member of an
organization which wishes to implicate members of the government as
being traitors to the Minbari (in fact, there are even rumors that
the organization is a covert operation run from within the
government itself).  Franklin explains that he doesn't think the
trial will reveal much, because when Sinclair disconnected himself
from the cybernet device, the feedback "fried most of [Knight
Two's] memory."  Sinclair still, however, wishes to see his former
captor.  As expected, Knight Two reveals little information--in
fact, he even claims that he cannot remember his own name. 
However, just as he's walking away from Sinclair, he turns around
and says, "Commander Sinclair, there's something in my head.  It
says, 'Maybe you're still inside.  Maybe we're both still inside.'" 
<p>
<a name="delenn-knows">
Sinclair goes to visit Delenn in her quarters.  He thanks her
for her help in rescuing him--he notes that it's strange that
seeing her was the only thing that could help him.  As he is about
to leave her quarters, she asks him if he remembers anything
concerning the Battle of the Line?  He pictures in his mind the
unveiling of the mysterious grey figure; aloud, however, he says
that he cannot, unfortunately, remember anything.
It is not clear whether Delenn knows he's lying or not.
</a>
<a name="sinclair-kill">
After Sinclair
leaves, a Minbari man, silver triangle on his head, arrives from
another room in Delenn's quarters.
"He must <em>never</em> know what happened.  If he should find
out, he must be killed.  Do you understand, Delenn?" says this man.
</a>
Delenn replies that she does, indeed, understand.
<p>    Sinclair, alone finally in his quarters, is making an entry in
his personal log:  "I remember.  I was taken inside a Minbari
cruiser, interrogated, tortured.  Was that the Grey Council? 
Maybe.  Maybe.  Before they surrendered, they must have blanked my
memory and let me go.  And Delenn--what was she doing there?  What
is it they don't want me to remember?  I have to find out.  I have
to!"
<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.