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167 lines
7.8 KiB
167 lines
7.8 KiB
<h3>Synopsis by Katrina Glerum (kat@midwinter.com)</h3>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr01.jpeg">
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As soon as the transport of Psi Cops arrives, Bester debriefs them on their
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mission to root out and capture Byron's telepaths. He explains that the
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telepaths who have left Byron are more dangerous than the others holed up
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in Brown sector. Meanwhile, somewhere in the station, one of his
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bloodhound Psi Cops is led by a telepath into an ambush. Bester gives the
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Psi Cops their assignments and orders them to resolve the situation by the
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next day.
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<p>
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Lochley enters to catch the end of his speech. She accuses him of enjoying
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the hunt, and he replies that if they weren't protecting normals from rogue
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telepaths, another worse method of controlling telepaths would be employed.
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He adds that his mission is to help rogue telepaths understand they are
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all on the same side. The transport tube doors open to reveal the body of
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the ambushed bloodhound nailed to the wall under the words "Free Byron!"
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<p>
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Byron contacts President Sheridan. He can convince his followers to back
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off if the Psi Cops leave the station. Sheridan is trying to negotiate
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when Bester walks in and sneers that Byron never keeps his promises. "It's
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over," he says.
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<p>
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"No, there are other ways," Byron replies and breaks off. He brushes off
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Lyta's question about what Bester meant.
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<p>
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Bester ignores Sheridan's anger and delivers a progress report. Once he's
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gone Sheridan wonders to Lochley why Garibaldi hasn't been heard from.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr04.jpeg">
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Bester is greeted in his quarters by Garibaldi and a charged ppg.
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Garibaldi demands that Bester dictate a full confession to the Babcom unit.
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Bester casually admits everything but declines to record it. Garibaldi
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threatens again with utter sincerity. Bester tells him to go ahead and
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shoot. Garibaldi's face shows a struggle, but he just stands there with
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his gun. Bester nonchalantly walks past him and sits down. "On a scale of
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one to ten," he questions, "How stupid do you think I am, anyway?" He
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procedes to explain that he has installed an "asimov" in Garibaldi's mind.
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Garibaldi cannot harm Bester, nor through inaction allow him to come to
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harm. The block is in his neural system so that he can want to kill Bester
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and experience his rage, but he is "blocked at the point of action." Bester
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mocks Garibaldi's futility some more and then leaves. Garibaldi raises his
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ppg again at Bester's retreating back, then destroys the Babcom unit in
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frustration.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr06.jpeg">
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Byron complains again to Lyta how he had hoped that his followers could be
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nobler and less violent than they are. She changes the subject to why
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Bester hates him. Byron admits that he used to be Bester's Psi Cop
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protege, until one day they intercepted a transport smuggling rogues. Once
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the rogues were captured, Bester ordered the squadron to destroy the
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transport. "They're just mundanes," he reasoned. Byron did as he was
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told, but ran away once he returned to Earth and vowed to find a better way
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for telepaths to live.
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<p>
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The telepaths outside the Byron's stronghold are in a losing firefight.
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One of them thinks of a place they can get hostages.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr10.jpeg">
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Garibaldi asks Dr. Franklin if there is any medical way to break a
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telepathic neural block. Before Franklin can answer the telepaths rush in
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shooting or subduing everyone in Medlab. Moments later on Babcom, the
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telepaths threaten to kill their hostages, starting with Garibaldi, unless
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they get safe passage and a homeworld. Byron watches this broadcast and
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begs Lyta to find him a way to Medlab so he can stop the killing.
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<p>
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The telepaths lift the teek Peter from his sickbed to help them guard an
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access route. Franklin tries to intervene for his patient and almost gets
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killed.
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<p>
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Zack leads a sally against Peter's position, but is confused into
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retreating when confronted by a barrage of bedpans.
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<p>
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Bester gloats to the President about his error in trusting rogue telepaths.
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Even though Garibaldi's life is in danger, Bester still has jurisdiction
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over the handling of the crisis, so there's nothing Lochley or Sheridan can
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do, short of negotiating with terrorists.
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<p>
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Lyta and Byron walk around their sealed-in domain. She pauses at every air
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shaft and sends her mind down each one, searching for a free path out.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr19.jpeg">
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Garibaldi's time is almost up. Bloodied and frightened, he and Franklin
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eye the terrorists. Byron and Lyta appear at Peter's checkpoint.
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Garibaldi starts trying to talk the terrorists into working with him, but
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no one responds. Just then Sheridan's face comes on the console. He
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declares that they will not negotiate for the lives of hostages. There is
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the sound of a ppg charging and the telepaths point their guns at Garibaldi
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who makes a last ditch effort to stop them. A ppg is fired, and the lead
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terrorist drops. Byron has shot him.
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<p>
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Sheridan paces agitatedly. He tells Lochley he's probably condemned his
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friend to death. Byron pages them from Medlab. He offers to surrender
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with everyone responsible for committing crimes, if in exchange he is
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allowed to gather all his people together and speak with them, and then the
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innocent ones are allowed to leave the station peacefully. Lochley agrees.
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<p>
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Bester is pissed. Lochley tells him that he no longer has jurisdiction.
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If he wants Byron, he needs to go through channels back on Earth. Just
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then Zack comes in with the identicards and signed confessions of telepaths
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who committed violence.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr24.jpeg">
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While the telepaths quietly commune, Bester approaches their sealed off
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entrances and puts out a mental call to Byron. He offers Byron forgiveness
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in exchange for coming back to the family, but Byron refuses.
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<p>
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Bester gathers his bloodhounds for a final attempt to grab Byron at
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docking. As the violent telepaths begin to surrender to Lochley and armed
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guards, Bester rushes up and demands the prisoners. One of the telepaths
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panics and fires at Bester. In the ensuing fight, telepaths and guards are
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shot and a fuel conduit is ruptured.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr31.jpeg">
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Byron and Lochley shout a ceasefire. Byron picks up a ppg and looks at the
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chemicals pouring out on the floor. Byron demands that Lyta leave him now,
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and thereby save his soul by saving the other telepaths who will be leaving
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the station soon. She must be strong for him, he says. She walks away,
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and as the remaining surrendering telepaths draw close, he charges the ppg
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and aims at the fuel. Sheridan grabs Lyta and everyone runs out before
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Byron and his telepaths explode.
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<p>
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Watching the grisly cleanup, Sheridan asks Bester if he's satisfied now.
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Bester seems lost. He never believed Byron hated him and the Corps so
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much. Franklin finds Sheridan and asks where Garibaldi is. He's worried
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because Garibaldi appeared so distraught and beaten earlier.
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<p>
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The remaining telepaths file off station under Bester's futile eye. Lyta
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rushes up, calling "Wait!" One-by-one, she touches each of the telepaths
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and gives them individual contact information for finding safe houses and
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rescuers set up for them wherever they go. It is Byron's last gift to them
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to keep them free. "Remember Byron," she tells each.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr37.jpeg">
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Garibaldi enters his quarters with a bottle of liquor. He pours it in a
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tumbler, hesitates a moment and drains it.
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<br clear=all>
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