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								   Jason Ironheart, Psi-Corps Level 10, has stolen a transport vessel but

								   is being pursued. His pursuers order him to stop, but he ignores them.

								   Suddenly, there is a strong explosion, and only one ship emerges:

								   Ironheart's ship, headed toward Babylon 5.


								   [INLINE] Pursuing Ironheart.


								   On Babylon 5, Sinclair and Catherine Sakai, his girlfriend, have just

								   woken up. Catherine explains that she's working on finalizing a

								   contract with Universal Terraform, an important corporation from

								   Earth.


								   Meanwhile, Ironheart has arrived on Babylon 5.


								   Talia Winters is having a conversation with a businessman from

								   Universal Terraform who wants to use her services in an upcoming

								   negotiation. They enter an elevator (turbolift?) which Garibaldi is

								   also currently using. The businessman asks what it's like to be a

								   telepath; Winters responds that it's often difficult to block out the

								   thoughts around her--while casual thoughts are simple to ignore,

								   strong emotions can somehow break through whatever mental barriers she

								   can set up. Suddenly, she turns around at Garibaldi (who has been

								   experiencing his own "strong emotions" while staring at Winters) and

								   elbows him in the stomach.


								   Elsewhere on the station, Bester and Kelsey, two Level-12 "Psi-Cops,"

								   have just come aboard Babylon 5. They telepathically "ask" a minor

								   official to bring them to Sinclair.


								   Catherine Sakai is meeting with the businessman from Universal

								   Terraform--the businessman who has brought Winters along. The

								   businessman is concerned with the confidentiality of the planet which

								   Catherine wishes to survey (because the planet, known as Sigma-957,

								   may have some deposits of Quantium-40, a material important to the

								   construction of jumpgates)--and so, following orders from his

								   superiors, he asks Sakai to promise not to mention the planet to

								   anyone--not even Sinclair. He has brought Winters along to verify that

								   Sakai is telling the truth when she says she will not tell anyone

								   about the planet--and, indeed, Winters does confirm this. The

								   businessman also notes that, since the planet in question is in a

								   contested region of space, they need the consent of one other major

								   party--in this case, G'Kar, representing the Narn, will give that

								   consent and will collaborate concerning Sigma-957.


								   Bester and Kelsey arrive at Sinclair's office, and begin to have a

								   telepathic conversation with him. Sinclair gets quite annoyed, telling

								   them that he doesn't like people "rummaging around in my head." He

								   questions them, asking about the rules governing such use of

								   telepathic abilities. They tell him that they are psi-cops, and

								   because of their important responsibilities, they are given a wider

								   latitude than other telepaths. They tell Sinclair that they are on a

								   mission to track down a rogue telepath--one who may be putting the

								   Earth Alliance's military structure at tremendous risk. Sinclair is

								   hesitant to offer assistance, but they insist that he hold a meeting

								   with the station's resident telepath (Winters), as well as security

								   and command personnel.


								   [INLINE] Bester and Kelsey consult Sinclair.


								   Ironheart is standing in his newly-rented quarters when he suddenly

								   appears to get a terrible headache. He clutches his head, but is

								   apparently unable to make the pain go away. Suddenly, the entire room

								   starts shaking, almost as if to reflect his pain.


								   The meeting that Bester and Kelsey requested has begun. Winters,

								   Ivanova, Garibaldi, and Sinclair are present. Bester asks Winters if

								   she knows (or ever knew) Ironheart; she replies that Ironheart was her

								   instructor in the Psi-Corps Training Academy. Kelsey explains that one

								   year before, Ironheart had been reassigned to work on a covert

								   operation with Earth Force Military Intelligence. Bester and Kelsey

								   refuse, however, to explain the nature of his covert operation. They

								   only say that what is in Ironheart's brain would compromise Earth

								   Force's position and possibly lead to the deaths of covert operatives

								   on other worlds; they believe that Ironheart wishes to sell this

								   information to alien governments. They refuse to give any other

								   information (particularly, they refuse to tell Sinclair what type of

								   danger Ironheart poses to the station); they only Sinclair to find and

								   bring back Ironheart ("Alive if possible; dead if necessary")--"We'll

								   do the rest." The Psi-Cops asks Winters if she has had any contact

								   with Ironheart; she replies that, since she left the academy, they

								   have corresponded only through letters. The Psi-Cops, however, do not

								   believe her--they order her to submit to a mental scan so that they

								   can be sure of what she's saying. She cringes at the possibility, for

								   mental scans can be quite painful--nonetheless, she is forced to

								   comply. The scan is performed, and the Psi-Cops are surprised to find

								   that Winters has been speaking the truth. "Surprising," says Kelsey,

								   "given their prior involvement." The Psi-Cops then leave, ordering

								   everyone (but especially Winters) not to speak with or approach

								   Ironheart if he is found on the station.


								   A short time after Winters has left the meeting, Ironheart approaches

								   her in dark corridor. She attempts to leave quickly, explaining that

								   she was ordered not to see him. He says that he is aware of the

								   Psi-Cops (and also that he was aware of their scan of her mind--which

								   is why he waited until after the scan to contact her), and promises to

								   simply explain the whole situation to Winters if she'll give him the

								   chance.


								   Sakai, meanwhile, is quite annoyed at G'Kar's involvement with the

								   mission at Sigma-957. He explains that he has involved himself only in

								   order to protect Sakai--"Sigma-957 is not a healthy place. Strange

								   things happen there." Sakai, however, doesn't believe him, and

								   explains that she thinks he and the Narn just want Sigma-957 for

								   themselves. He denies her suspicions, telling her that she shouldn't

								   believe everything she's heard about G'Kar--"No one here is exactly

								   what he appears," says G'Kar. "Not Mollari, Delenn, not Sinclair, and

								   not me. My warning is sincere; ignore it at your own peril." She

								   still, however, doesn't believe him, saying that she will, if

								   necessary, "go over his head" and communicate with her own contacts in

								   the Narn regime.


								   Ironheart, in Winters's quarters, explains that one year before, he

								   volunteered for an ambitious Psi-Corps experiment--an experiment that,

								   if successful, would greatly increase the powers of telepaths. He

								   volunteered because he was told that the experiment was necessary for

								   Earth Force Defense--each race wants to make sure that its telepaths

								   are powerful enough. After months of the experiment, his telepathic

								   abilities expanded beyond his belief--he could "cut through any block

								   without even trying--all I had to do was to look at them." However,

								   such development was a mixed blessing, because he finally realized the

								   true purpose of the experiment: to develop "stable" telekinesis.

								   Winters recalls the telekinesis tests she took at the academy--"I

								   tried for days to make [a penny] move with my thoughts; I couldn't do

								   it." He explains that only one in every thousand humans is telepathic;

								   and only one out of every ten-thousand telepaths is telekinetic--but

								   that half of these telekinetics are clinically insane. But the

								   experiment was successful, says Ironheart, "It worked beyond anyone's

								   wildest dreams."


								   [INLINE] Ironheart and Winters.


								   Garibaldi tells Sinclair that he has found something which might help

								   him track down Ironheart: one of the ships which recently arrived at

								   Babylon 5 was a stolen transport that came from Ironheart's previous

								   location. Garibaldi says that he is checking the guest quarters on the

								   station. He comments that he's working as quickly as possible--he

								   doesn't like the idea of rogue telepaths _or_ Psi-Cops on the station.

								   "There's just something creepy about [Psi-Cops]," explains Garibaldi,

								   "The way they look at you like you're some kind of bug." Just then,

								   Bester arrives on the bridge, and Garibaldi leaves relatively quickly.

								   Bester stares at Garibaldi as he's walking away and "replies,"

								   somewhat annoyed, "Anatomically impossible, Mr. Garibaldi, but you're

								   welcome to try, any time, anywhere."


								   Meanwhile, Sakai is on her way to Sigma-957.


								   G'Kar is in his quarters, speaking on a secure channel with Narn

								   Military Headquarters. He says he requires a well-armed heavy fighter

								   for a mission to Sigma-957.


								   Ironheart, still in Winters's quarters, explains to Winters that at

								   first, he thought that the Psi-Corps wanted telekinesis for "big

								   jobs"--heavy construction in 0-G, telekinetic shields on ships. He

								   explains that the Psi-Corps, however, wanted increased control of

								   smaller objects--the smaller the better. If precise control over small

								   objects were perfected, telekinetics could become the ideal assassins:

								   "Murder without a trace. No fingerprints, no poisons." Suddenly, as he

								   speaks, the room begins to shake again. He tells Winters to run--to

								   leave the room quickly -- for he cannot control this side-effect of

								   his new telekinetic powers. This time, however, it's not just his room

								   that starts to shake--it's an entire section of Babylon 5.


								   Sinclair is walking with Bester and Kelsey when the vibrations reach

								   him. The Psi-Cops immediately recognize the situation as a

								   "mind-quake." When Sinclair finds Garibaldi, Garibaldi comments that

								   he has pinpointed the source of the disturbance, but that the entire

								   level of the station where the disturbance is coming from is blocked

								   by some type of energy shield. Sinclair angrily mentions that, when he

								   asked Bester what type of danger Ironheart represented, Bester replied

								   that Sinclair didn't need to know. He calls a meeting with Bester and

								   Kelsey.


								   Sinclair accuses the Psi-Cops of placing the station in danger by

								   withholding information from Sinclair. They merely reply that they

								   were following orders, but Sinclair dismisses that excuse. He

								   confronts the Psi-Cops, ordering them to explain the precise danger

								   that Ironheart poses. Bester only replies that Ironheart is no longer

								   entirely "human"--other than that, the Psi-Corps doesn't know exactly

								   what he is.


								   Ironheart is meanwhile sitting in the middle of the rubble caused by

								   his telekinesis. He is trying, with some success, to calm his thoughts

								   down and stop the accidental destruction.


								   At the meeting between Sinclair, Ivanova, Bester, and Kelsey, Bester

								   explains the basics of Ironheart's experiment to Sinclair. Bester says

								   that, toward the end of the experiment, Ironheart began to show signs

								   of paranoia, stress, and psychosis. One night, Ironheart left his

								   room, killed the head researcher of the experiment, and escaped.

								   Kelsey comments that Ironheart's telekinetic abilities grew stronger

								   and more violent as time progressed. Bester tells Sinclair that

								   Ironheart, in his present state, is a valuable commodity--and the

								   Psi-Corps cannot allow him to fall into the hands of any alien

								   government. He adds that the Psi-Corps wanted to keep the whole

								   incident quiet in order that alien governments not find out about

								   Ironheart's abilities--this reason is why they withheld the

								   information about Ironheart's condition. "It was a calculated risk,"

								   comments Bester. (Ivanova expresses her disgust with the way the

								   Psi-Corps have no ethical problem with taking inhumane, calculated

								   risks). Sinclair asks how the Psi-Cops plan to stop Ironheart if he is

								   so powerful. They explain that, during the experiment, Ironheart was

								   programmed with a "fail-safe code," which, when sent into his brain by

								   a powerful telepath, has the ability to shut down Ironheart--to "put

								   him to sleep"--but not kill him. Bester and Kelsey believe that,

								   between the two of them, they will be able to overcome any defenses

								   that Ironheart has set up--but they can only send the fail-safe code

								   if Ironheart is in their line of sight.


								   Winters walks up to one of the shields that Ironheart has set up

								   around the level of B5 which was shaken by his thoughts. She tries to

								   speak with him--to shout to him through the shields. When he hears (or

								   senses) her, he drops the shields for a moment so that she can pass

								   through. When she finally arrives to where Jason is standing, he is

								   glad to see her. He explains that he came to Babylon 5 in order to see

								   her--that he felt that being with her would be enough to calm his

								   thoughts, "shut out the voices," and rest "for a little while ...

								   before the end." He admits that he shouldn't have come to the

								   station--he has inadvertently put people at risk, though he didn't

								   want to hurt anyone. He tells Winters what he has learned of the

								   Psi-Corps--that, although people believe that the government controls

								   the Corps, the reverse is coming to be true. "[The Psi-Corps is] more

								   powerful than you can begin to imagine. Telepaths make the ultimate

								   blackmailers, Talia. I've seen it all." He tells Winters that he is

								   currently undergoing a tremendous change--and that he is no longer

								   Jason Ironheart.


								   Sakai has finally arrived at Sigma-957. She enters into an orbit above

								   the planet and beings to conduct environmental research. She laughs to

								   herself about G'Kar's warnings concerning Sigma-957.


								   [INLINE] The Skydancer launches a probe.


								   Winters, after leaving Ironheart, finds Sinclair and tells him that

								   she has seen Ironheart. She requests to speak with Sinclair privately;

								   he agrees. When they are in private, she explains the situation to

								   Sinclair. She tells Sinclair that Ironheart wants to see him. Sinclair

								   asks what exactly was between Ironheart and her--why he came to this

								   station. She explains that they had been lovers--and that Ironheart

								   came to B5 to see Winters. "He was everything to me--the perfect model

								   of what it meant to be in the Corps. Do you know what it's like when

								   telepaths make love, commander? You drop every defense, and it's all

								   mirrors.... It's a feeling so profound it makes you hurt. It's the

								   only moment in a telepath's life when you no longer hear the voices.

								   He came to say goodbye, commander."


								   Meanwhile, Sakai, at Sigma-957, suddenly sees _something_ near

								   Sigma-957. Neither she nor her computer can identify it, but her

								   computer's power level is reduced drastically. Her orbit is decaying,

								   and she will crash into the planet in less than two hours. She tries

								   to open an emergency channel with Babylon 5, but there is not enough

								   power to establish a link.


								   Sinclair and Winters arrive to where Ironheart is sitting. He greets

								   Sinclair politely, but gets rights into the purpose of his discussion.

								   "The Psi-Corps is dedicated to one thing, commander: control." He

								   explains to Sinclair what he had previously explained to Winters. "But

								   there is something even more powerful--something they didn't even know

								   existed until I crossed the line. Not mind over matter, mind over

								   energy.... I look at you, commander, and I see not a man, but a galaxy

								   of subatomic particles which I can ... rearrange with a casual

								   thought." Ironheart explains that he feels humans aren't ready for

								   these types of powers; but if the Psi-Corps find him and bring him

								   back, they will study him to try to figure out the combination of

								   drugs which caused this phenomenon.


								   Sinclair, however, asks why he should trust Ironheart over the

								   Psi-Cops. Ironheart explains that if he meant any harm, he could

								   vaporize Sinclair instantly. When Sinclair mentions that Ironheart has

								   already caused harm and destruction on the station, Ironheart explains

								   that the "mind-quake" was an accident. Ironheart claims he never

								   wanted to hurt anyone; however, as his telekinetic powers expand, it

								   takes him a while to learn how to control them. Sinclair mentions the

								   head researcher that Bester said Ironheart killed; Ironheart claims

								   that he didn't want to kill the researcher--but since that researcher

								   was the only one who could duplicate the experiment, he had no choice.

								   "There must never be any more like me," he says earnestly. Ironheart

								   explains that he only wants Sinclair's trust--and a little bit of

								   help. He says that he needs to leave the station so that he can be

								   free to become whatever it is that he's becoming. At length, Sinclair

								   agrees, and arranges with Ivanova and Garibaldi to escort Ironheart

								   off the station to the stolen transport which is docked outside.


								   Meanwhile, very soon before Sakai's ship would have burned up in the

								   atmosphere of Sigma-957, Sakai's computer detects the arrival of two

								   ships. The ships open a communication channel with her--they explain

								   to her they are Narn vessels dispatched on the order of G'Kar to

								   rescue her in the event that anything strange should happen in

								   Sigma-957. They grapple Sakai's ship and escort it back to Babylon 5.


								   Bester and Kelsey have meanwhile discovered that Sinclair is

								   attempting to escort Ironheart off of the station. They meet up with

								   Ironheart as he is trying to escape; they attempt to send the

								   fail-safe code, but Ironheart's defenses are too powerful. Ironheart

								   is, however, forced to kill Kelsey in the struggle. He successfully

								   escapes from Bester, then enters his ship and leaves the station.


								   [INLINE] Bester takes a shot at Ironheart.


								   Sinclair and Winters, along with Garibaldi and Ivanova, watch

								   Ironheart's ship leave Babylon 5. Shortly after, the station's sensors

								   detect a strong energy surge; suddenly, Ironheart's ship is no longer

								   there, and in its place is a strange configuration of floating energy.

								   The energy entity--the new Jason Ironheart-- speaks with Winters on

								   the bridge. As a parting gesture, he gives her "the only gift I have

								   to give"--suddenly, a bright flow of energy enters Winters's head,

								   knocking her unconscious.


								   "Goodbye, commander," says Ironheart, "I will see you again in a

								   million years."


								   Afterwards, Sinclair is speaking with a somewhat-depressed Bester, who

								   complains that his superiors will believe none of what just happened.

								   Sinclair agrees, "Especially since in about an hour, we'll have a

								   small accident in data storage that'll erase the file you just saw."

								   Garibaldi suggests an alternative report: "That Ironheart's ship

								   escaped Babylon 5 but exploded before it could enter the jumpgate." If

								   Bester refuses to use this suggestion in his report, Sinclair

								   threatens that he will make it known how Bester withheld information,

								   put the station in danger, and, through his interference, cause the

								   death of his fellow Psi-Cop. Sinclair also makes Bester promise to

								   have his report indicate that Winters was under Ironheart's control

								   during the incident--and that she was not responsible for her actions

								   during the incident. Bester agrees reluctantly and leaves quietly.


								   After Bester leaves, Garibaldi asks Sinclair if Sinclair will report

								   to "the senator" (probably the senator with whom Sinclair communicates

								   periodically) what Ironheart accused the Psi-Corps of. Sinclair says

								   that he doesn't think it will do any good--Ironheart was feverish and

								   paranoid, so what he said might not be true. Even if it is true,

								   without Ironheart available to testify, it would just be his word

								   versus that of the Corps. However, they agree to keep their eyes open

								   for anything threatening. Garibaldi then wonders out loud what

								   Ironheart's gift to Winters was. Sinclair comments that he doesn't

								   think she would tell Garibaldi even if he were to ask.


								   Meanwhile, Winters is in her quarters. She has placed a penny on the

								   table, and when she focuses on it, she finds that he can make it move

								   using only her thoughts....


								   Catherine Sakai has arrived safely with the help of the Narn ships.

								   She finds G'Kar and thanks him for his help. She asks him, however,

								   why he went to the trouble of rescuing her. "Why not?" he replies.

								   When she comments that that isn't an answer, G'Kar replies, "Oh, yes

								   it is. It's simply not an answer you like or the answer your expected.

								   There's a difference. Narns, humans, Centauri--we all do what we do

								   for the same reason: because it seemed like a good idea at the time.

								   There was no profit--no advantage--in letting you fall to an untimely

								   and most uncomfortable death. It would distress the commander to no

								   good end." She seems to accept this reason, then asks if G'Kar knew

								   what it was that she saw near Sigma-957. He explains that it is a

								   phenomenon which they cannot explain: "There are things in the

								   universe billions of years older than either of our races. They are

								   vast, timeless ... They are a mystery, and I am both terrified and

								   reassured to know that there are still wonders in the universe-- that

								   we have not yet explained everything. Whatever they are, Ms. Sakai,

								   they walk near Sigma-957. They must walk there alone." Catherine only

								   stares in wonder.


								   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: October 11, 1995


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