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465 lines
23 KiB
465 lines
23 KiB
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<h3>Synopsis by Matthew Murray (i9717029@unicorn.it.wsu.edu)</h3>
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<p>
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Ivanova is in Sheridan's office, reporting to him about the budget
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problems Babylon 5 is facing, due in part to the increased number of
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EarthForce military transports passing through Babylon 5. That is
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forcing the station
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to reroute its commercial traffic, though EarthForce claims it is
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only temporary. She tells Sheridan that EarthForce, in order to
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reduce the deficit forming on Babylon 5, wants the two of them to
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either move out of their quarters, or pay rent of thirty credits per
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week, as they are the largest quarters on the station. Sheridan
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refuses to pay the rent, and tells Ivanova that, because of the work
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they do, they deserve the quarters they have. He tells Ivanova to
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inform EarthForce that they have no intention of paying for the extra
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space.
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<p>
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On the Mars colony, the PsiCop Bester is interrogating another
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telepath. "This is unnecessary, you know. If you'd just give us the
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information we need, we could stop this. We don't blame you. You fell
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under the influence of outsiders. They used you and then abandoned
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you. You mean nothing to them. You were raised by the Corps. Clothed
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by the Corps. We are your father and mother. Don't force us to do
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this." When the man refuses to speak, Bester continues, "We know
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there's an underground railroad helping unregistered telepaths. We
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know you gave them access to our files. Who was your contact? Who's
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running the operation?" The man claims he doesn't know, and that they
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don't use names. Bester asks where the central clearing house is for
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the railroad, but the man refuses to answer, instead, he recites "Mary
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had a little lamb." Bester reaches out and holds his hand above the man's
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throat, scanning him; the man dies painfully. "I caught it," Bester
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says. "Just before he died. Betrayed by his final thoughts. Babylon 5."
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<p>
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<img align=middle width=128 height=96
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src="/lurk/gif/030/interrogate.gif"> "We don't blame you."
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<p>
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Sheridan is in Earhart's, talking to Dr. Franklin about the problems
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he's having with EarthForce. Dr. Franklin tries to convince him that
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he might be making a mistake, but Sheridan refuses to pay rent on his
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quarters. Dr. Franklin jokingly offers to let Sheridan sleep on
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the spare cot he requisitioned for medical purposes.
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They meet up with Ambassador Delenn, who asks to speak with
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Sheridan privately. She asks him to help her better understand what it
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is to be human. "Though I now look more like you, I'm not like you.
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And if I am to be a bridge of understanding between humans and Minbari,
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it would help if I knew more about your people." She explains that she
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wants to go out to dinner with him, to sit and talk with him, as long
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as it is not about business. Sheridan agrees, and they make plans for
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that evening.
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<p>
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<img align=middle width=128 height=96
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src="/lurk/gif/030/invite.gif"> Delenn invites Sheridan to dinner.
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<p>
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A ship carrying Bester arrives on the station, and Bester tells C&C
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that he wants to have a meeting with full command staff. In the
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meeting, he explains, "For some time now, we've been aware of an
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underground railroad smuggling unregistered telepaths away from Earth
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to the outer colonies where the Corps can't reach them." Ivanova tells
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him that she doesn't see a problem, but he claims that unregistered
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telepaths are a security risk. He explains that he learned the
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railroad was centered on Babylon 5, and that he wants it closed down.
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Bester asks for their cooperation, but Sheridan asks to speak with the
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others before committing to a decision. Bester leaves with
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Talia. After he leaves, Sheridan asks Garibaldi whether or not Bester
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was right in his request. Garibaldi explains that he was, because,
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whether they like it or not, they are obliged to uphold the laws of the
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Earth Alliance, and the law compels them to help the PsiCorps.
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<p>
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"It's damn ironic, isn't it?" Garibaldi says. "The Corps got started
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because we were afraid of telepaths, and now they're victims of our own
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fears. We took away every right they had and shoved them into a big
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black box called PsiCorps. Now, look at them. Black uniforms, jack
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boots, giving orders... Some days they scare the hell out of me."
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<p>
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"Yeah," Sheridan tells him, "if you ask me, we created our own
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monster. Maybe we deserve it." Sheridan tells Garibaldi to help him in
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any way he can, but still keep an eye on him. As Garibaldi leaves,
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Ivanova reccommends to Sheridan that he check the files on Bester,
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because of the trouble he made before regarding Jason Ironheart. (cf.
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<a href="../guide/006.html">"Mind War"</a>)
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<p>
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Bester tells Talia on their walk that he is confident they will do what
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he asks. Talia asks him if he scanned them. Bester answers that
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it's against the law to scan normals. She asks him if he's scanning
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her, and though he claims she'd feel it, she says she wouldn't know if
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it was a surface scan. As he tries to convince her that he would only do
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such a thing if he believed she was doing something inappropriate, he
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hears the word "murderer" whispered over and over in his mind. He asks
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Talia if she heard it, but she says she didn't. He tells her to drop
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her defenses and listen again, but she still hears only the background
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noise of the area. "They're here," he tells her. "I was right."
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<p>
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<img align=middle width=150 height=112
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src="/lurk/gif/030/bazaar.gif"> Strolling through the bazaar.
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<p>
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Meanwhile, the underground railroad continues its operation. One
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telepath reports to another, Rick, who is apparently in charge, that
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Bester is there. Rick asks if Bester sensed him, but the telepath
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isn't sure. He says that they need to warn the runner and get out of
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there. He knows that Bester will attempt to stop them, and, in that
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event, their only option is to kill him.
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<p>
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That evening, Delenn, clad in an attractive black dinner dress, enters
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a restaurant and meets Sheridan, who is astonished by her appearance.
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He is not the only one, as many others around his table notice her. He
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asks her what she might like to order, and they look at the menu
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together.
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<p>
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<img align=middle width=128 height=96
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src="/lurk/gif/030/dinner.gif"> Meeting for dinner.
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<p>
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Meanwhile, Garibaldi enters Earhart's and finds Ivanova there. He
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attempts to talk to her about official business, but at the mention,
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following military tradition, she forces him to buy the next round of
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drinks. He explains that he really does need to talk to her privately,
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and they find a table by themselves. He tells her that he needs a
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contact on the underground railroad. She wishes him luck, but is not
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sure what that has to do with her. She tells him that, even though she
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resents the PsiCorps, she is not responsible. He explains to her that he
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knows someone high up on the station must be responsible for such a large
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operation, and that he suspected it was her. She assures him that she
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is not responsible, and tells him that she wants to go back to her
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quarters and get some sleep. "That's the other thing I wanted to talk
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to you about," he tells her.
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<p>
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After dinner, Sheridan and Delenn are enjoying some pleasant
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conversation, discussing such topics as household pets and humor.
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Sheridan says he never thinks of Minbari laughing, but she tells him
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that the Minbari think no race can be truly intelligent without
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laughter, and that learning to appreciate humor is a large portion of
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their religious development. Sheridan explains to her that such things
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are not uncommon on Earth. "It would appear that we have much more in
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common than we imagined," Delenn tells him. Smiling, Sheridan agrees.
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<p>
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Talia is getting ready for bed when she is interrupted by a call from
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Bester. Bester tells her that he regrets the way he has treated her,
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especially in regards to Jason Ironheart. He tells her he wants to get
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to know her better, and invites her to join him for breakfast the next
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morning. She tells him that she will be there, and he hangs up. She
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walks over to a mirror and looks into it. Seeing her face, she
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remembers the time, about a year earlier, when Jason Ironheart came
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onto the station. She remembers his confiding in her, and Bester's
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attempt to kill him, his transcendence, and his mysterious gift to her.
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As she recalls those traumatic events, a
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penny on a nearby table slowly begins to move, flies from the table,
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and imbeds itself into a wall. "He's been in my mind twice today," she
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says as she watches the penny. "Why isn't he seeing this? Or was that
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the other part of the gift?"
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<p>
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An exhausted Sheridan approaches his quarters and attempts to use his
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card to open the door. He tries twice, but the door refuses to open.
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Ivanova appears, noticing his trouble, and informs him that EarthForce
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sealed their rooms until they decide to move to smaller quarters or pay
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rent. She tells him that she was on her way to rent a room, but he
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won't let her do that.
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<p>
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The unregistetred telepaths are
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gathered together, apparently assembling weapons. Rick insists that
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they do something again. Another telepath says that they are safe as long as
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they are hidden from him, but Rick knows better... he knows the telepath
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Bester killed to obtain the information cracked, and that they must be
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stronger to keep him off the track. Everyone agrees, and they all
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begin reciting "Mary Had a Little Lamb," apparently using it to block out
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all other thoughts.
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<p>
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<img align=middle width=128 height=96
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src="/lurk/gif/030/lurker.gif"> "Do it again."
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<p>
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Ivanova is curled up on the couch in Sheridan's office, while he reclines
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in his desk chair. He tells her that they need to be strong and cannot show
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weakness. She agrees reluctantly. To lighten the mood, he tells her a
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joke. "How many Minbari does it take to screw in a light bulb?" She
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doesn't know, so he explains. "None. They always surrender right
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before they finish the job, and they never tell you why. Knock knock."
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"Who's there?" "Kosh." "Kosh who?" "Gesundheit." Ivanova is less
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than amused.
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<p>
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The next morning, at breakfast, Talia and Bester are talking about the
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situation back home, especially regarding the death of the president.
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He asks her to keep an eye on the people on the station, wondering what
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they have to say about the president's death. Seconds later, he hears
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something else in his head -- plans to attack. He leaps away just in
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time, shouting at Talia to get down. He fires at and kills his
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attackers, but as Talia attempts to escape, she is grabbed by several
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people, knocked out, and dragged off.
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<p>
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Bester addresses the staff, telling them about the attack. He admits,
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however, that he doesn't know what happened to Talia. He tells them
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that he thinks she's fine, because they were after him. When Garibaldi
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asks Bester if the thought had occurred to him that they may have
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kidnapped Talia to get to him, Bester simply says that she doesn't know
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anything that could endanger either him or the Corps. This greatly
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upsets Garibaldi, who begins screaming at Bester that he should
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have notified security as soon as he knew she was gone. Bester tells
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Garibaldi that, if he really wants to find her, he needs to double the
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efforts of security. "You've got two bodies to start with. Make the
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best of them."
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<p>
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Talia begins waking up from her unconciousness, hearing voices in her
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head as she does so. She awakens to find herself lying on the floor,
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surrounded by people. She rises and attampts to walk around the room,
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and meets with no resistence. She walks over to Rick, and he tells her
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that they don't want to hurt her, but they will if necessary.
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Realizing this is the leader of the underground railroad, she tells him
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that they are only hurting themselves, and that the Corps just wants to
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protect them. He says he doesn't believe that and that she doesn't
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either. He also tells her that she is "almost there." She asks what
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he's talking about, and what he wants with her. He tells her
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that he wants her to understand.
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<p>
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<img align=middle width=128 height=96
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src="/lurk/gif/030/talia-downbelow.gif"> Talia and her captors.
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<p>
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Dr. Franklin reports to Sheridan that he heard from the people running
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the underground railroad, who said that Talia isn't hurt. He tells
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Sheridan that they want to arrange a meeting between Sheridan and the head
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of the operation, but if anyone besides Sheridan arrives, the
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meeting is off. Dr. Franklin tells him that they want to find a
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solution to the situation without anyone else being hurt. Sheridan
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asks Dr. Franklin if he can trust them, and Franklin says he can, but
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refuses to explain how he knows that. Sheridan agrees to the meeting.
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<p>
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Talia listens to the story of one of the telepaths, who explains to her
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how his brother took medication to suppress his telepathic powers, which
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didn't stop him from speaking out against the PsiCorps. However, one
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day, when the PsiCorps came to inject him with the suppressing
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medicine, he never woke up. Talia refuses to accept that the Corps
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would kill someone, but the man insists it's true. Rick tells her that
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she's afraid of the truth. She tries to explain to him what the Corps gave her,
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but he tells her they took even more away, forcing her to wear a badge
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and wear gloves, and taking away her freedom. He tells her that the
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PsiCorps tries to keep telepaths seperate, but still
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dependent. She can't believe what he's saying. He tells her
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that he knows what happened to Jason Ironheart, that he was
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a rogue and ran away, just like all the others on the
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underground railroad.
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<p>
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Bester enters Garibaldi's office, where Garibaldi is waiting. He asks
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what Garibaldi wants, and Garibaldi tells Bester that he needs to see
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him, even though he doesn't want to. Bester tells Garibaldi that they both
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have the same interests and want to protect Talia, but Garibaldi
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doesn't believe it. Bester tries to convince Garibaldi that he has a
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wife and daughter, and is hardly the monster Garibaldi believes him to be, but
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Garibaldi cannot believe that story either. He tosses Bester some
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information, and tells him that he has learned the would-be assassins were
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living in Downbelow. Bester determines, as Garibaldi did, that the
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rest are probably down there as well. Garibaldi tells Bester that he
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will meet with Bester in one hour to go down there together. Bester
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agrees.
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<p>
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Talia is still with the other telepaths, this time listening to the
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story of a P-11 telepath who was asked to marry a man, another P-11,
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so that they could increase the chances of creating a baby as powerful,
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or more so, than the parents. When she refused, she was taken away
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during the night, only to discover a short time later that she was
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pregnant. After she had the baby, it was taken away, and she never saw
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it again. She escaped the hospital and never turned back. Rick
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talks to Talia again, telling her that the original function of the
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Corps has been lost through time. He wants to stop it, and he asks for
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her help. She can't easily agree, because it has been her way of life
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since childhood. She asks him why he wants her involved, and tells her
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that she's special. "Your friend Ironheart was my friend, too. They
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experimented on both of us. They pushed me up here," Rick tells her,
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pointing to his head, "they made me a P-12, maybe even a P-13, but
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Ironheart...he went further than I did. Further than anyone will ever
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go again. When he escaped, I went with him. Helped set all this up.
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I know he touched you. I know he gave you something. I know you can
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help us if you want to."
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<p>
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Sheridan arrives at the predetermined place to meet with the leader of
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the operation, when he inexplicably meets up with Dr. Franklin.
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Sheridan tells Franklin that he should leave, or else scare off the leader.
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But Franklin <em>is</em> the leader. Sheridan tells Franklin that he'd
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better have a good explanation. Talia appears. "I think he
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does, Captain, and I think you should listen to him. I think you
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should listen to all of them."
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<p>
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<img align=middle width=128 height=96
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src="/lurk/gif/030/meeting.gif"> "I think you should listen to him."
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<p>
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"Back on Earth," explains Dr. Franklin, "I heard things. The kind of
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things you're not supposed to hear about. Genetic manipulation,
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breeding telepaths against their will, so-called relocation camps for
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rogue telepaths that aren't much better than concentration camps. It
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started when a few doctors began referring latent telepaths to each
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other, keeping them out of circulation -- losing reports, and changing
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medical history files. We couldn't just keep moving them around like
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checkers -- we had to get them away from Earth. They were filtered into
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Babylon 5 on business visas. Last year, I set up a clinic downbelow so
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we could start processing runaways and changing records without anyone
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from MedLab knowing about it. I trust my staff, but the PsiCorps has a
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knack for intimidation." Sheridan tells Franklin that he agrees, in
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principle, with what Franklin is doing, but that he is bound to obey the law
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as a soldier. Franklin is also bound, by an oath to protect lives.
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Sheridan doesn't want to turn Franklin in, because it
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would embarrass EarthForce, and give them another reason to shut down
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Babylon 5, but, if he doesn't turn him in, he becomes just as guilty.
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<p>
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"No," Talia tells Sheridan. "There's a third option."
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<p>
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Bester appears, without Garibaldi. He looks around for a while, turns
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a corner, and sees a group of telepaths there, with Rick in the front.
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Bester tells Rick that, if they return
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peacefully, they won't be harmed. Talia appears from behind the
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other telepaths, all together in a tight group, and tells him that he
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is lying, and that they will only be destroyed as a lesson to the
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others. "You want to keep us frightened and isolated. Not just from
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normals, but from each other. That's the real reason we wear gloves,
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isn't it? To keep us apart. But what happens when the gloves come
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off?" She raises her gloveless hands, and the other telepaths do the
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same.
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<p>
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The entire group joins hands together and begin fighting Bester
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collectively. He tries to stop them, but is unable. The telepaths,
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however, are making no progress.
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"It's not working," Rick says, straining against what he is doing.
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"Someone's fighting us." He suddenly realizes who it is, and turns to
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Talia. "You!" She shouts out to Bester, and they both fire on the entire
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group, quickly killing them all. He surveys the bodies,
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telling her that he would rather have taken them all alive, but that
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the leader is dead, and an example has been set. He tells her that the
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body will die when the head is cut off, which he orders her to do. He
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tells Talia he was convinced by her ruse.
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<p>
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<img align=middle width=128 height=96
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src="/lurk/gif/030/handhold.gif"> Joining forces.
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<p>
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"The Corps is mother, the corps is father," she tells him. "I know
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where my loyalties lie." He tells her that
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security will be there soon. He suggests that they leave
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seperately, and hopes that she will deny all knowledge of the incident;
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she agrees. Bester leaves, and she walks off in the other direction.
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<p>
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Sheridan suddenly appears in the room, where all of the telepaths,
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including Talia, are gathered together, holding hands. They drop their
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hands as Sheridan explains that he only saw Bester appear in the
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corridor, then walk away. But Talia explains that they projected
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an image into his mind telepathically, and that he believed what he saw
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completely. Sheridan asks them how they did it, assuming that a PsiCop
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would be able to see through the trick. Talia tells him that they
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could only do it together, and that a single telepath could never have
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done it. Franklin tells Sheridan that, because Bester is convinced
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what he saw actually happened, he will not press the issue, not wanting
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to answer lots of questions about the dead telepaths. Because Sheridan
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doesn't have the defenses to block a scan, Talia recommends that he not
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see Bester before he leaves. Dr. Franklin also informs Sheridan that,
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because of the attention drawn to it, the underground railroad will no
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longer pass through Babylon 5, but that others will take over for him.
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Sheridan tells the telepaths that they are free to leave, but that
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he doesn't want them back. The telepaths agree and file
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out. Sheridan and Franklin leave back toward the elevator, Sheridan
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warning Franklin that he will turn him in if he does it again.
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Franklin tries to get Sheridan to admit that he agrees with Franklin's
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actions, but Sheridan won't. When Franklin asks him what he's saying,
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Sheridan only replies, "I'm not saying what I'm saying. I'm not saying
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what I'm thinking. As a matter of fact, I'm not thinking what I'm
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thinking." He tells Franklin that all he wants is a drink. Franklin
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reminds him that he also needs a place to stay, something which
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Sheridan had forgotten about.
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<p>
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As Talia returns, Rick emerges from the shadows and startles her. He
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says that she can never return, but she tells him that she can't leave
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the Corps. He points to his head. "No, I mean in here. You know too
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much. If Bester scans you, you...Can you keep him out?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"I think so. Jason's little gift."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"He gave you more than you know. What we did back there...shouldn't
|
|
have worked. Not with that PsiCop. You tipped the balance. I felt it
|
|
when we were joined. You're more than you think you are."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"Then what am I?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"The future," Rick says as he vanishes again into the shadows.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Ivanova appeals to Sheridan to the repeal the protest, since she
|
|
believes that Earth Central will never concede. She tells him,
|
|
however, that she will continue with the protest if he will. She also
|
|
tells him that he snores, a fact he vehemently denies, but which she
|
|
insists. She asks to sleep on the couch, but he says that she can
|
|
sleep in her own quarters instead. She asked if he gave in, but he
|
|
tells her, "I'm deducting sixty credits per week from the budget set
|
|
aside to maintain combat readiness, and applying it against the rent."
|
|
Ivanova asks on what grounds he's doing that, and he responds, "On the
|
|
grounds that I'm not ready to fight anybody until I've had a decent
|
|
night's sleep in my own damn bed." She thinks it's a good solution,
|
|
and leaves Sheridan's office to go to sleep.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<img align=middle width=128 height=96
|
|
src="/lurk/gif/030/bedtime.gif"> Ivanova, ready for bed.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Talia accompanies Bester to the docking bay.
|
|
Bester tells her that he is very disappointed that Sheridan was not
|
|
as supportive of the Corps as he had been told. He tells her to keep an
|
|
eye on Sheridan as well, and Talia says that won't be a problem. He
|
|
leaves, but as he is walking away, he stops suddenly, turns back toward
|
|
her questioningly, then walks away.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Ivanova is interrupted by the door chime just as she climbs into bed.
|
|
She answers the door, and Talia enters carrying a bottle of wine and
|
|
two glasses. At first, Ivanova wants her to leave, but Talia soon
|
|
changes her mind. Removing her gloves, Talia tells her, "I just wanted
|
|
to say that you were right and I was wrong about the Corps. I can't go
|
|
into details, but in light of recent events, I think we need to
|
|
reevaluate our relationship. Which is just a formal way of saying that
|
|
I needs someone to talk to, and, strange as this sounds, you're the
|
|
only one I can think of. Unless my being here offends you."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<img align=middle width=128 height=96
|
|
src="/lurk/gif/030/gifts.gif"> "I come bearing gifts."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Ivanova shakes her head. "No, you don't offend me. But that does."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Talia looks down at her collar and sees the PsiCorps badge there.
|
|
Without saying a word, she removes it and sets it on a nearby table.
|
|
"Better," Ivanova tells her, and the two sit down and begin to talk.
|