Love Never Dies
Summery : Lochley accepts a distress call in most unusual circumstances..., from a person who is thought to have died..., or did he? Okay, my summery officially sucks...
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It has been one year, since the War between the President Clark's forces and the Babylon 5's
forces, and one year, since the suicide of the Earth President William Clark.
It also has been one year since the Marriage of President John J Sheridan and his wife, Delenn, and the Alliance between the Planets, under President John J Sheridan and Babylon 5 as their home base of operation.
And finally, one year since the departure of Captain Susan Ivanova, and one year since the death of one of the most respected rangers, Marcus Cole.
Captain Lochley was coming back from her morning run, when she received a distress call coming from Sector 14.
That was the exact spot where President Sheridan and the others witnessed as Ambassador Jeffrey Sinclair and Zhatras disappear along with the Babylon 4 Station, through the time warp.
They were to use the station as a base of operation to fight against the forces of darkness, which were the Shadows in the Great War, a thousand years in the past.
She saw a disturbance around the sector.
And then, she spotted a White Star right in the middle of the anomaly.
She said to herself, "why would a White Star be doing here, in the middle of nowhere?"
She decided to find out why, because as always, she was curious.
That being curious had landed her in a lot of hot spots, however it had always been worth it. "Computer, anyone on board?" she asked the computer.
"Affirmative." Answered the computer.
"How many on board?" asked the Captain.
"One." Replied the computer.
"I wonder why would the Alliances' ship would be doing out here?" she asked.
"Unknown," was the answer given by the computer.
"Computer, hail them," she commanded.
The computer hailed the other ship, however there was no response.
"Computer, hail them again."
There still wasn't any response.
She got out of her seat and started to pace.
Whenever she feels nervous or uneasy, pacing always calmed her down a little.
"Computer, are you sure there is someone on board?" she exclaimed.
"Correct."
The next question, she dreaded, however she had to ask it to make sure, so she did.
"Any life signs?"
"One," answered the ever-unfeeling machine.
She let out a sigh of relief at the computer's reply.
She assumed that the person on board must be seriously hurt or something, otherwise he/she would have responded to her hailing.
There was only one thing she could do, which was to get the ship and her passenger out of further danger.
She stopped pacing and went back to her seat and sat down, ready to get her back to business.
"All righty then, do you have any idea whatsoever how we can save whomever on board?"
"Negative."
"Okay then, is there, any way we can get in the middle, rescue, and come out again, with both of the ships intact?"
"Negative."
"Can't you be positive for once?"
The computer did not comment on that remark.
"Computer, release the grapples."
"Confirmed, however it is not recommended."
"Come on! What is the matter, now, huh?" she was about to burst.
"We do not have sufficient power to operate due to the distance."
"Oh, damn! Doesn't anything work around here? First you tell me that it's to dangerous to get near it, and now, you're saying that we are too far?!?!?!?!" she screamed.
When the computer didn't have anything to say, she went off again, "Any ideas? Come on! You're the goddamned computer!" she raised her voice even higher than before.
"Negative."
When she heard that calm voice saying that blasted word, 'negative' again, she wanted so much to, just walk up to the console, and tear that annoying machine out!
Once, she heard about the time when they tried to add the artificial intelligence to Babylon 5's main computer, however Garibaldi got really annoyed with it when it tried to be funny and he shut it down with his PPG.
Oh man, she could relate to him just about now.
Here she was, going off at a machine, which was designed to give her facts, and she couldn't even imagine a computer with a humor.
She probably reacted the same way, even worse than Michael did.
She shook her head and collected herself, she decided that she would never win this argument no matter how long or how hard she try, so, she had to give up sooner or later.
She decided that it has to sooner, because she doesn't have ant time to waste.
"Okay, if you don't want to help me, well, I guess I'll have to do this on my own."
"Well, here goes nothing."
With that statement, she drove her ship as far as she could go, and punched in some codes and decided to operate the grapple manually.
With a couple of missed attempts, she finally grabbed hold of the other ship and told the computer to start pulling the ship.However, Lochley's own ship was getting pulled in, in the process.
"Oh, damn! Computer, full power to the thrusters, maximum burn! Give me everything you've got!" she ordered.
"Confirmed."
The White Star was pulled out from the danger zone, unharmed, and as far away from the sector 14 as possible, however there was still one other major problem.
Saving whomever was on board of the ship.
She had to find that person no matter what.
She had no time to waste.
Since both of the ships were Babylon 5 and the Alliance property, she was given quick access inside the White Star.
This was her first time ever to step inside of this amazing piece of machinery.
"Wow, it's so beautiful, I've never seen anything quite like it before in my life," she said as she looked around in disbelief, and added, "By the way, where is this person?"
She looked around everywhere, ran down corridors after corridors and quarters after quarters, until she came to a door which looked different from the other rooms she'd been to, and this particular one had some writings on and beside the door.
She couldn't read the words, since it was in Minbari.
She pressed her link and asked, "Computer, can you tell me what is this room supposed to be?"
"Affirmative. It is the ship's infirmary."
"Okay, something tells me that this person I'm looking for must be in here," she said as she pressed the door panel.
When the door hissed opened, she let herself in and looked around the infirmary, however it was empty.
"Computer, do you have any idea where this person could be?" she asked.
"Affirmative. He is in the cryogenic suspension." Answered the computer.
"Cryo? Hem… that's odd," she said as she rushed over to the area where they keep the Cryo Units.
When she arrived there, she saw that one of them was occupied.
She pressed the release button and the cover slid opened.
And she saw a man lying in it.
He was definitely human.
She saw his face and he had fine features, and long hair about a few inches off the shoulders.
He was wearing a robe, like the ones that the Rangers wear.
And on his left chest, she saw a brooch, the ones that Rangers wear.
"A Ranger?" with that statement, she pressed her link once again.
"Computer, get a message to Babylon 5," she said.
"Confirmed."
At C & C, one of the technicians received the message.
"Commander, we have an incoming message from Sector 14? It's the Captain, sir!" informed the first lieutenant.
"Put it through."
In a matter of a second, they saw Lochley's worried face.
"Commander, well, I have some news. I ran into something unusual when I was coming back from my run. I received a distress call sent from somewhere in Sector 14. Well, put the President and his wife on."
"Aye, sir."
When Lochley saw Sheridan and Delenn on screen, she asked, "Mr. and Mrs. President, do you have any idea why would the White Star 3 be doing in the Sector 14?"
"White Star 3?" Sheridan and Delenn exclaimed in unison.
"Yes, White Star 3." She said.
"Yes. It's the ship we sent out to honor one of our Rangers." Said Delenn sadly.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, before you were posted here, when we were fighting against the President Clarks' forces, our Commander, now Captain Ivanova was terminally hurt and Marcus, one of the Rangers sacrificed his life to save her."
"I've heard about that when I got here. So, what did you do to, is this him, in the Cryo?" she asked.
"Yes, that person is Marcus, as to how or why the ship got there, we have no clue."
"Well, that settles it. Please tell Dr. Franklin and the medics to meet us at the docking bay in about an hour. Lochley out."
"Delenn, do you have any idea what she meant, when she said 'us'?" asked Sheridan.
"I do not know John, I do not know."
About an hour later, Captain Lochley ran into the docking bay.
When Stephen saw Lochley, he rushed over to her asking, "Captain, where is he?"
On her way to the station, she talked to Franklin all about the situation.
"He's still back there."
"All right," he said and followed her into the White Star 3's infirmary.
He went straight over to the Cryo, the one, which held Marcus.
He pressed the release button and the cover slid opened and saw Marcus in it.
He quickly got out his equipment and started to check him out."Oh, my god," he said, dropping his gadgets, there was definitely an amazement and emotion in his voice, making other people who were in the room nervous.
"Quickly, everyone, lets get him to the Med. Lab stet!" he ordered and everyone went to work quickly.
They quickly hooked oxygen on him and got him out of the Cryo and placed him over on a steel stretcher and rolled him out of the ship.
Sheridan and Delenn rushed over to the doc and asked him, "Stephen, what is it?" when they saw Marcus on the stretcher, hoping that their dream is at last coming true.
"It's Marcus. I can't believe it! He's, he's alive!" exclaimed Stephen, happily with tears in his eyes.
"A-alive?" their voices were mixed with raw emotions.
"Yes. Although, we have to hurry, he's barely alive. The device."
"Yes, I'll help, and so will Garibaldi." Said Sheridan.
When all the personnel and the ambassadors heard the news, they were all thrilled, especially Lennier and G'Kar.
Marcus was Lennier's best friend.
Lennier considers that Marcus sometimes is more Minbari than he, and he truly respects and trusts one of his own race.
And for G'Kar, he liked Marcus from the first time he saw him, when he befriended the Brit., through King Arthur of Briton.
When G'Kar was out searching for Mr. Garibaldi, who was kidnapped by the Shadows, actually it was Bester and his tweeps who did, and it was Marcus who followed G'Kar to help him on his mission.
G'Kar liked the fact that Marcus was honorable and pure.
When Michael Garibaldi first met Marcus, he thought that he was annoying and pain in the ass, however his opinion of him changed in the course of time he has known him.
Now, more than ever, he respects him more than any thing.
His friends all took turns on the Alien Healing Device and it was all up to Marcus now.
Marcus finally opened his eyes.
"Susan!" he called out.
He had a terrible nightmare.
No, it was reality!
Susan was dying!
He has to save her!
"Susan? No! I have to save her! Whatever it takes!" he called out again, when he looked around and did not see his beloved.
"Doctor, the patient. He's awake and asking for Captain Ivanova," said Dr. Lillian Hobbs, who was Franklin's assistant.
"All right!" he exclaimed, dropped everything he was doing, and rushed over to Marcus.
"Marcus," he said gently.
"Stephen? Where is she? Where's Susan?" he asked, half crying.
"She's not here, Marcus."
"Then where is she? I… the Alien Healing Device?""She's alive. You saved her. By doing so, the machine drained almost all of your life energy."
"I should be dead, why am I doing here? You're not telling me the truth! Where is she? The machine didn't work. She's dead, isn't she? She's gone?" with that last remark, tears rolled down his face.
"No, Marcus. You died. And we placed you in Cryo on board of your ship, White Star 3 as an honor to you and launched it a year ago. Your ship somehow ended up in Sector 14, and somehow sent a distress call, which was picked up by our new captain, Captain Lochley, while coming back from her run, and well, now, here you are, alive and well."
"So, Susan's alive? But you said that she wasn't here."
"No, she's not on board of Babylon 5 anymore. Your demise was too much for her to carry, so she left. Actually, she was given her own ship when President found out what happened to you and her."
"President?" "Oh, yeah. You weren't around when President Clark committed suicide rather than to receive his punishment. He even tried to aim all of the missiles in our four hemispheres, to Earth, itself."
"Oh, boy. I missed everything!"
"I see someone's feeling better already." He teased.
"It was one of her dreams, wasn't it? To have her own ship."
"Yes, it was. By the way, mister. You should not talk that much. You just came back from the dead, remember?"
"Yes, it's so good to be back. Any other earth shattering news I need to know about?" Asked he.
"Be patient. You will know everything in time. The only thing I subscribe is that you rest. Okay, buddy?"
"Yes, sir!" he saluted him by placing his right hand over his forehead.
"Funny. Rest, okay? I'm gonna check back on you in a little while."
"Okay, doc," with that last remark, he closed his eyes and drifted off to dreamland.
Dreaming about the return of the love of his life, Susan Ivanova, which would be very soon.
It seemed like eternity had passed.
Marcus Cole slept through the afternoon, well, in time wise anyway, since in space it's dark all through the day and all through the night.
When he opened his eyes, it was the next day, well in the afternoon.
He eased himself off from the bed and strolled around the med. lab.
"Hey, sleepy head, decided to join us?" asked Stephen playfully behind him.
He yawned and turned around and said, "Oh, boy, I felt like I haven't slept for days!""Well, more of a year, I suppose." Suggested Stephen.
"Oh, yeah, that's right. By the way, doc, how long do I have to stay here? You know how I hate hospitals." Said Marcus, getting antsy.
"Well, all the signs are normal. You are actually in great shape." Said Stephen, while looking over his chart.
"So? When? Huh?" He persisted.
"Well, if you are up to it, in thirty minutes tops?" Stephen gave up.
"Sounds great! I have so many things to absorb!" Exclaimed Marcus.
"Yeah, you do, however do it in a slow pace, will ya? I mean, you don't wanna end up here again, do ya?" Suggested Stephen who started to laugh hysterically, after seeing Marcus jumping up and down like a little boy.
"Don't make fun of me, you'll act the same way if you were in my shoes." Said Marcus.
"No, I won't." Said Stephen, still laughing.
"Yeah, whatever you say, chap. So, what do I do to get out of here?" He asked, changing the subject.
"Well, let see." He said, opening the chart which he had in his hands.
"So, can I go now?" Marcus asked.
"Well, I don't see why not? Everything's seems to be in order." Said Stephen, closing the chart.
"Well, I guess I will be going then." Said Marcus.
"Take it easy, cowboy." Said Stephen.
"Yeah, I'll do that." Answered Marcus, and he went out of the med. lab.
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To be continued...
Hope you liked it so far...