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<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
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<blockquote><cite>
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An internal affairs investigation of Sinclair forces him to answer for his
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recent command decisions.
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Ivanova confronts a member of Psi-Corps, as well as her own fears, when
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she is told to submit to a scan.
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</cite>
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Martin,+Gregory+Paul">Gregory Martin</a> as Col. Ari Ben Zayn.
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Combs,+Jeffrey">Jeffrey Combs</a> as Harriman Gray.
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</blockquote>
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<pre>
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Sub-genre: Intrigue
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<a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/016">8.16</a>
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Production number: 122
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Original air date: July 13, 1994
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006HAZ4/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: November 5, 2002
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Written by Larry DiTillio
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Directed by Jim Johnston
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</pre>
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<h3>Watch For:</h3>
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<ul>
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<li>
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Some alarming developments on the Mars colony.
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<li>
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A possible change in Ivanova's attitude toward Talia Winters.
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</ul>
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<p>
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<hr size=3>
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<p>
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<h2><a name="BP">Backplot</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li>
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The unrest on Mars is continuing to escalate; now the separatists have
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started carrying out terrorist attacks and are arming themselves. (cf.
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<a href="018.html">"A Voice in the Wilderness"</a>)
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</ul>
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<h2><a name="UQ">Unanswered Questions</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li>
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How will the powerful backers of the investigation react to Ben Zayn's
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failure?
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</ul>
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<h2><a name="AN">Analysis</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li>
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Several interesting hints about Ivanova and Talia Winters are dropped, most
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notably the fact that Ivanova was thinking of Winters when she and Gray were
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talking in the lounge. Ivanova's insistence that no one must ever intrude
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upon the memory of her mother's telepathic contact may foreshadow a less
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adversarial relationship between the two of them in the future. (cf.
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<a href="006.html#AN.4">"Mind War"</a>)
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<li>
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The fact that Bester was able to intervene in the investigation at all
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suggests that he, and possibly Psi Cops in general, wield a lot of power
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in the Psi Corps. It is also conceivable that Bester and at least some of
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the factions in the Senate who backed the investigation are related.
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<li>
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Is Ivanova's reluctance to be scanned simply what she says it is -- a result
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of her contact with her mother and her general hatred of Psi Corps -- or does
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she more immediate reasons, perhaps something to hide?
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</ul>
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<h2><a name="NO">Notes</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li> Lennier's chant, "Za ba ga bee," is the title of an album by Barnes and
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Barnes, of which Bill Mumy is a member. (See
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<a href="#JS:zaba">jms speaks</a>)
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<li> One of the masked men in Ivanova's dream is played by Macauley
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Bruton, who also plays Garibaldi's aide in
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<a href="006.html">"Mind War,"</a>
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<a href="008.html">"And the Sky Full of Stars,"</a>
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and
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<a href="022.html">"Chrysalis."</a>
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See
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<a href="#JS.mac">jms speaks.</a>
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</ul>
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<h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li> The last episode [of Season 1] to be shot will be Larry DiTillio's
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"Eyes," which is sort of a nice wrap-up to the season, almost an
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overview. Once again, nothing that happens this season is simply
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forgotten...and a *lot* of it comes due in this episode. It actually
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manages to incorporate references to about 6 prior episodes without
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being obscure about it.
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<p>
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<li> BTW...about the time we were delivering "Eyes," somebody on one of
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the nets was going on and on about how "B5 continuity *stinks*...I'll
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bet we NEVER hear about Deathwalker again, or the strike, or the
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Vorlons killing Deathwalker, or Raghesh 3...."
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<p>
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And seeing what was at that moment on my TV, I wanted to reach through
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the computer monitor, roll up my forefinger, and *plink* that person
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right upside the nose.
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<p>
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Unfortunately, I have not yet found a modem program that supports this
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feature.
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<p>
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But Ron is promising me something by the Fall....
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<p>
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<li> The other thing about "Eyes," btw, is that it's not something dumped
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in outta nowhere to make a conflict; it's the direct payoff of events
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that take place throughout the season where Sinclair breaks or bends
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the rules. Lots of people on the various nets said, "Yeah, there he
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goes, breaking the rules in the strike, but is this every gonna pay
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off? No, probably not." If we're consistent with reality, and with
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our story, and Sinclair's broken some rules, and pissed off some
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people back home, then it is *inevitable* that this will eventually
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come home to roost in the form of an investigation.
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<p>
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<li> BTW, for those who saw the promo for "Eyes" at the end of "Grail," I
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have *no* idea what it has to do with the episode. Sometimes they
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"enhance" the story to make it promote-able...but I think this time
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they "enhanced" it right into a parallel dimension....
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<p>
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<li> <a name="JS:zaba"><em>Was Lennier's chant scripted?</em></a><br>
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When it came time for that chant, nothing had been scripted; it was
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supposed to be a soft, under one's breath kind of chant. Bill came and
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asked me and Larry if we had anything in mind. We said no, whatever you
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decide is fine...and he ended up chanting his album cover.
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<p>
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Later...*much*...later...when I discovered this, we discussed it at
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some length.
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<p>
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<li> <a name="JS.mac">There's another reason</a>
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why Macauley was used as Tragedy in a dream
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mainly centered around Psi Corps; it's not really something anybody
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needs to see or catch. After "Revelations," it'll be clearer.
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<p>
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<li> Actually, ben-Zayn is an Middle Eastern/Arabic name.
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<p>
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<li> I believe the bike in question was a Ninja. And Jerry Doyle is
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something of an enthusiast, which is part of what led us to that.
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<p>
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<li> Correct; Kawasaki did not pay us a dime to use the bike in the show.
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We called around, to see who would loan us a bike, with the
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understanding that we'd be tearing it apart. Because Kawasaki does
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advertise with some of the PTEN shows, someone there had a
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relationship with the company, and gave us a name. After we tried a
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couple of other companies, we tried Kawasaki, and they agreed...not a
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donated bike, just a loaner. And that's what we used.
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<p>
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<li> The masks were the basic (though somewhat modified) tragedy and
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comedy masks, associated with theater. And a couple of times,
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Ivanova's mother does use the Russian nickname for her as well as
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the English version. Susan was taught and raised to a large extent
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overseas, and they always tried to keep her in both worlds.
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<p>
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<li> Yes, Psi Corps members must wear the Psi symbol at all times when in
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public. (Though since Grey was there undercover, that briefly went
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by the boards.)
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<p>
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<li> New Jerusalem is a planet; there's a side-story about it that I'm
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contemplating getting into, so don't want to blow it here.
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<p>
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<li> . . . Let me only emphasize some stuff here. As stated, Larry never
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SAW the Drumhead. We generally make it a point NOT to watch what's
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done on ST to avoid being influenced. Second, the basic ending which
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you feel is strictly ST's can be seen in the Caine Mutiny, A Few Good
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Men and others. "Eyes" was a direct consequence of all that preceded
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it in our first season. It came about because Larry suggested that
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with all that Sinclair has done, sooner or later somebody's going to
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take notice back on Earth. There would have to be some kind of
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investigation. Because we are doing some very specific things with
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the Psi Corps this year and next, which I wanted to foreshadow, a PC
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telepath was inserted into the story, to show that they are starting
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to get a foothold into the military, with new laws concerning scans.
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<p>
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We knocked the story back and forth for some time, and it went through
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many different permutations. We also figured that the episode should
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be kind of a Cliff's Notes guide to season one, hitting the high
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points for those who joined the series later than those who were here
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at the beginning. The ending also went through various changes, but
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what made the most logical sense was to get the Colonel to admit bias
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in some fashion or another...and the only way to do this really was to
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get him so angry, so furious, that he'd incriminate himself enough, or
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open the door enough for Mr. Grey to verify the bias.
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<p>
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That was how the structure was arrived at. I was there. It had
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nothing -- *nothing* -- whatsoever to do with the Drumhead, which I
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have a vague memory was written by Jeri Taylor, who is a friend of
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mine, and further invalidates the very idea.
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<p>
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<li> Mr. Grey would've been a P10. PsiCops are P12s.
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<p>
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PsiCorps administrators at the upper reaches are P11 or better.
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<p>
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<li> Grey reached into Ben Zayn's head and, for lack of a better term,
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pushed his "pain button," the same way you can stimulate someone's
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memory or physical sensations with an electrode or chemicals. It was
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only a second, and he would've shrugged it off quickly, had Sinclair
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not been there to follow up.
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</ul>
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