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								   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.


								   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.


								   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.


								   [INLINE] Inspecting the cargo.


								   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.


								   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--


								   --and a sudden energy spike is detected on the bridge.


								   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.


								   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.


								   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.


								   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.


								   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.


								   The organic artifacts, in Nelson's quarters, are strengthening their

								   hold over Nelson. He is falling more and more under their control.


								   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."


								   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.


								   Nelson is meanwhile walking around some obscure level of B5. He has

								   undergone an extreme metamorphosis; he is no longer recognizable as

								   Nelson.


								   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.


								   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!"


								   [INLINE] "Protect!"


								   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.


								   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.


								   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.


								   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.


								   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.


								   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.


								   First, however, Garibaldi and Sinclair set up an extremely powerful

								   attack against Nelson. The attack fails completely; it doesn't even

								   slow Nelson down.


								   [INLINE] Nelson under attack.


								   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.


								   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.


								   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.


								   "You deliberately endangered a quarter of a million humans and aliens

								   just to raise your profit margin?" asks Franklin.


								   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.


								   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."


								   Sinclair sadly, thoughtfully admits that he doesn't have an answer to

								   this--although he also admits that he should.


								   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.


								   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.


								   Shawn Bayern _bayern@cshl.org_

								     _________________________________________________________________


								   Copyright 1994, Shawn Bayern. All rights reserved. Permission is

								   granted to distribute this synopsis _noncommercially_ 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.


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								      [15]Last update: September 16, 1997


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