Return from The Darkness

by B5roundrobin

One of the original members of the army of the light goes missing and the rest must save him. finished

RETURN FROM DARKNESS - PART 1 By Sharon G

The dark-haired passenger disembarked off the space liner and headed towards the
customs area. Sighing, he stood patiently in line waiting for his turn to
present his ID card and gain admission to Babylon 5.

As the line slowly progressed, he surveyed the surroundings filled with milling
aliens of a dozen different worlds, as well as a preponderance of Humans. After
several more minutes he finally reached the front of the line. Pulling out his
indenti-card he handed it to the security officer stationed at the entryway.

The rather bored looking officer briefly jammed the card into his hand held
scanner and quickly compared the photo on the card to the individual standing in
front of him. "Planning on staying long on B5 Mr. Morden?"

"Oh, not long. I have some business meetings here and some people to meet with.
It should only take a few days."

"Have a pleasant stay."

With little fanfare the Human known as Morden entered B5. He headed for a tube
that would transport him to Down Below and his business meeting with a group of
less than savory inhabitants of the seedier section of the station.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Several hours later found Morden in a dive in Down Below sitting across from an
evil looking individual in a less than reputable meeting place. Though called a
'bar', it hardly deserved the title. It was little more than a bunch of
tables set up to one side of an access way. Though the hour was late, the
tables were filled with Humans, Drazi, even a few Pak'ma'ra.

"And you're sure you can accomplish what I'll ask?" Morden asked the tough
looking hood across from him.

"Sure, no problem. My boys and I can take care of just about anything as long
as the price is right."

A slight smile twisted across Morden's face. This was something he understood
very well. "What do you want?"

"Tell me what the job is first. Then I'll tell ya' what it'll cost."

"Nothing too taxing. I want to remove something from the station, or should
I say some one, without eliciting the notice of the local authorities. I can
guarantee the individual won't put up a struggle."

"Oh yeah? How's that? They must be already dead then," the hood chuckled to
himself.

"Funny you should say that. The individual is actually in Cryo-freeze."

"You want my gang to steal a Popsicle? You've gotta' be kidding? What ya' want
with 'em?"

"That's none of your concern. The question is simply, can you do it?"

"Yeah, sure. We can do it. It'll cost you some big credits though. Who's the
Popsicle?"

"A Ranger named Marcus Cole."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Return from the Darkness - Part 2 By CerianaDarkthor

The man seemed to contemplate the offer, placing his hand on his chin,
"Hhhmmm....That is going to really cost ya then."

He eyed the man clad in a grubby shirt and pants; this guy didn't appear to even
have a life, let alone substantial money to pay him for a job of this size. "You
must have some mighty desperate backers then, I'd say."

As he studied the man he noticed that there was a light in his eyes, it
actually made him step back and away from the mysterious man, then he brought
himself back up and smiled a sleazy grin.

"My backers are my business," the man said with a cold edge.

"Oh...of course. I would never consider interfering. It is simply an unusual
request." The man backtracked his comments. The dark light in the man's eyes
vanished as he seemed to relax.

"Of course, we all have had our share of those kinds of employers." The man
chuckled, as the slight tension disappeared.

"I agree," the man stood and looked at him. "When do you need it?" he asked in a
low whisper.

"As soon as you can procure it and bring it here." Morden palmed the man a data
crystal as he shook his hand, then he stood as well.

"Payment will be expected before delivery." He nodded casually in acceptance.

"I would have it no other way." He smiled and began to move away as the
mercenary moved along side of Morden.

"What is your name? I am Vergan." The dark haired man turned to Vergan, and
there was that look again.

"My name is Revanche..." he stated, with so much finality that Vergan was
sure he would rather not discuss the issue. Needing no further information he
nodded, and then headed into the crowd to plan his next move.

Morden turned from the spot he was in and walked slowly away. He needed to find
a quiet dark corner to advise his associates that he had successfully reached
Babylon 5.

No-one even seemed to notice the handsome man, let alone glance at him, it was
as if he was invisible to them. He actually liked it that way though. It suited
him.

Morden thought about where he was, and what he was doing, and for a brief
moment there was a flash of a memory....his last thoughts about his wife
seeing him off on the science expedition, of his friends the night
before...where were these people?...who were these people?...he didn't
remember.....yet he did remember.

His mind had been in a whirl since he landed on that planet...something snapped
in his mind as he walked. He knew his purpose here. There was no other, and
there never would be another purpose.....vengeance was going to be
theirs........Yes, that was it, he was focused again.

------------------------------------------

Zack was busy with the charts and graphs on his desk. He was getting one of
those headaches again. He found himself getting them more often as it came
closer to the closing of the Babylon 5 Station.

This was due to the formation of the Alliances that had been developed during
the President Clark incident. They felt that it wasn't worth keeping Babylon 5
now that the races had united. They had decided to close the station.

So the pleasant job had fallen to Zack to start getting things in order. Captain
Lockley had said that Zack was the man and grinned, giving him the data crystals
with the instructions. "I am just too lucky..." was all that Zack said to her as
she walked away.

Here he was, three weeks into it, and he still didn't see the point of it. It
seemed that more things were coming into the station lately than things going
out, and he just didn't get it. This was all pre planned and set out though. So
he simply continued along as instructed.

"I need a break." He stood and stretched his legs then headed out the door. He
ran straight into one of the bridge personnel that seemed to be headed to his
office.

"Excuse me," the young man fumbled with a data pad he had in his hand. "Here are
the incoming visitor logs for today." He handed Zack the log and then started to
walk away. Surprised, Zack stopped the man.

"Hey." He looked to the log and then at the man.

"Lt. Gibson said you might want to look at that today."

Zack's brow knotted, and he looked at the logs, then he headed back in his
office to review them.

"Dismissed..." he said to the man distractedly, as he returned to his desk.
Placing the crystal in the reader, he began to look over the list. He almost
fell out of his chair when he saw the name, and he immediately stood and tapped
his hand com.

"Captain Lockley, Zack Allen, we need to talk - now."

"What do you need Zack?" she asked, hearing the concern in his voice.

"Not over the com's, I am on my way to command."

He grabbed the crystal and headed for the bridge.

----------------------------------

Return from the Darkness - Part 3 By Shadowship Brita

The cargo ship Murdock left the Babylon 5 docking bay. Captain Ryn flew his
daily route with his usual cargo on board. However this time he had an extra
piece at the request of a friend he knew on the station. He also knew that the
man was involved in some rather shady business. The price was good, and as long
as he didn't know the details he was willing to take the risk. The money was too
good to resist. So he allowed the very heavy, large box brought on board. It
was supposed to be delivered to a colony on the rim of known space.

Several days later the Murdock finally reached the rim world. It was a trading
colony filled with the usual riff-raff of various traders and visitors. A
strange looking alien came to meet the ship, and took possession of the cargo
Ryn's friend had given him. Ryn had never seen such a creature before.

At first he thought it might be a Drakh, but it was much smaller and the face
looked thinner than a Drakh face. Without further questions he delivered the box
to the alien. Ryn went about his business and never gave it another thought.
He knew it was dangerous to look any further into the cargo.

The Shadow thrall and his helpers carried the box onto an unremarkable, unmarked
shuttle, and slowly headed out to the regions beyond the rim. Far away, outside
the colony' solar system, a Shadow vessel came into view.

The shuttle pulled along side and was 'absorbed' through an opening in the large
vessel. The Shadow ship then brought the shuttle, the thrall and the cargo to a
settlement on a dark world at the very edge of the galaxy. Like the long
destroyed home world city of Za'Ha'Dum, this metropolis was very well hidden and
cloaked.

The box was off-loaded and delivered to a building deep within the city to be
opened. Inside the box was a cryotube operating on batteries, inside that lay
the desired object. A dark-haired, once well-known Ranger, Marcus Cole.

-------------------------------------------------------

Return From Darkness-Part 4 By the Red Wulf

Captain Elizabeth Lochley watched the tape with her security chief a second
time. She tried not to lose her temper with him in frustration. With all she
had to do, she didn't have time to look at pictures of people that looked like
long dead enemies of the Alliance.

"Mr. Allen, I understand you think that this man is the Morden you knew, but
have you considered that if this is Morden, he hasn't aged at all? Not to
mention having had his head sewn back on very nicely. No, Mr. Allen, I think
this must be a son or something," Captain Lochley said, trying to placate her
security officer.

"Captain..." Zack began, but Lochley cut him off.

"I also think, Mr. Allen, that you have reached the age when many men begin to
relive the glory years," Lochley told her Security chief, who was looking
steadily more annoyed. "And you, unlike most men, really had some years filled
with glory. Honestly, I look at what you people did during the war and I am
totally in awe. But, Mr. Allen, everything comes to an end."

Zack stood looking at Captain Lochley fuming, endeavouring to get his temper
under control. "Captain, I know what I saw."

At that moment a young lieutenant burst into the room. "Captain, we have a
problem. Someone has stolen a Cryo tube." The fear in his voice seemed
completely out of place to Lochley.

Zack, however, seemed more afraid when he asked. "Whose?"

"The Ranger, Marcus Cole," was the reply.

Zack suddenly turned a rather evil smile in the direction of Lochley. "Well
Captain, now we know why Morden was here. Excuse me while I call Delenn. You,
however, get the pleasure of calling General Ivanova."

He turned and left the room.

"Who is Marcus Cole?" He heard Lochley ask the young lieutenant.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Lyta Alexander sat across the table from her second in command, and one of her
oldest friends, someone that Bester had told the world was dead, Talia Winters.
It had been one of the biggest surprises of Lyta's life when Talia had walked
in almost as soon as Lyta had returned from her trip with G'kar, to join the
rebellion. Lyta had deep scanned Talia to uncover her loyalties and discovered
that Talia had had her life returned in 2261; strange enough, but it was exactly
the day Marcus Cole had sacrificed his life.

Talia smiled as she began her report on Psi Corp build up around Earth and its
colonies. Then suddenly she fell onto the floor, her face contorted in pain.
Tears of blood ran down her face, and sobs racked forth from her lips. Lyta
circled the table quickly, grabbing a cloth off the table as she noticed her
friend blushing and sweating.

She began wiping the sweat from Talia's face and realized the flush came from
the fact that she was, quite literally, sweating blood. Her bare hand reached
to Talia's face, and upon contact she too felt the pain. It was a soul searing
agony, and Lyta realized that she only felt a fraction of the pain Talia was
enduring, who in return was only feeling a fraction of the pain Marcus was
feeling. But Marcus?...he was dead!


Return From Darkness - PART 5 By Sharon G

General Ivanova's aide sighed deeply to himself. He and Corwin had gone through
basic Earthforce training together and had known each other for years. Corwin
had briefed him about the reasons for Captain Lochley's call to the General.
The aide knew that Ivanova was going to be less than pleased with the news as he
pressed the com button to tell her about the incoming call from Babylon 5. He
could tell it was going to be one of those days.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Yes?" Ivanova barked at the com link in her office.

"General, there's an incoming transmission for you from Babylon 5."

"At this hour? It's the middle of the night there. Very well, patch it through
to my office."

Ivanova sighed and turned to the view screen. Earthforce had
turned into her only interest in life. It was who and what she was. At one
time she thought there might be more to her life than this, but all those dreams
had long since faded into obscurity. She was General Ivanova and she was
beginning to feel like an old warhorse. Geeze, where had the time gone?
Shaking off the memories, the view screen cleared and she was face to face with
Captain Lochley.

"Captain, it's been long time."

"General," Lochley acknowledged with a nod of her head. She appeared rather
uncomfortable. "We've got a problem here on B5. An item has been reported
missing on the station. As of this point my security team has not been able to
locate it or give any confirmation or denial whether the item has left the
station."

"So, Captain? I can't see how a theft on your station could possibly involve
me."

"General, I regret to have to inform you that it is the Cryo tube containing
Marcus Cole that is missing."

The words dropped like stones across the surface of Susan's mind, stunning her.
They revived memories that she had buried deep within her. Occasionally she
would allow them access to her conscious mind, late at night when no one else
was around, but no one took the chance of mentioning Marcus' name to her if they
knew what was good for them. Lochley was still talking, and Ivanova pulled
herself back to the present and forced herself to listen.

"We just discovered this in the past few hours. Security traced the theft to a
group of hoods in Down Below, but so far we haven't been able to discover much
more. Security Chief Allen thinks that someone named Morden might possibly be
involved, but the man's apparently left the station. Zack suggested I call you,
that you might be able to help."

Ivanova quickly accessed her schedule for the next several days. Discovering
there was nothing pressing on the docket, she rapidly came to a decision.

"All right Captain. Have your security continue to work on this and send
updates to my office. I'm going to arrange for shuttle transport to Babylon 5.
Expect me within the next several days. And I trust you will have better news
for me about this 'disappearance' by the time I arrive," Susan stated coldly.
"Ivanova out."

She sat for several minutes after the transmission ended slipping into the past
once more until she felt her eyes burn. "Damn it Cole! Why do you still make
me feel like this after all this time?" Rubbing her eyes, Susan realized she
had no time to spare getting lost in nostalgia. Turning to the com link on her
desk she called her aide.

"Yes General?" was the prompt reply.

"Arrange immediate shuttle transportation for me lieutenant. I want to leave
within the next hour."

"General? I don't understand. There's nothing on your schedule about a trip."

"Lieutenant," Ivanova responded with a voice that could freeze water," there's
an old Minbari saying that I think you should remember. 'Understanding in not
required. Only obedience.' Now get on those arrangements!"

"Uh, yes, sir!" the younger aide sputtered. "Destination General?"

"Babylon 5. Contact me when the arrangements are in place."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The man slowly came awake in the darkness. Straining his eyes, he realized
there was nothing to see because he was surround by blackness. He felt bone
weary and incredibly tired, as though he could sleep for days. As conscious
thought returned, he struggled to sit up and discovered he was strapped to the
surface. *Where am I? What is this place? What am I doing here?* And then an
even more frightening thought followed on the heels of these questions. *Who am
I? *

It was all too much for the dark-haired man as unconsciousness rose over him.
Closing his eyes, he surrendered to oblivion once more.




Return From The Darkness 6 by CerianaDarkthor



Ivanova sat on the transport waiting; she was trying not to consider what might
be happening on Babylon 5 right now. The memories were creeping into her mind
more and more. She took a nice long drink from the glass of Vodka that she had
poured herself. She had brought the bottle with her, though she hadn't touched
the stuff in many, many years. In fact she had kept this bottle, a vintage 2200,
for a special occasion, such as her retirement. So much for that idea.

The com unit began to chirp at her and she stood up and approached it with
trepidation. Switching the panel on, she saw the familiar face of Dr. Stephen
Franklin.

"Susan." He grinned, that boyish grin she remembered so well. "I was
surprised to..." Stephen could see it in her face, the tension and
weariness; something was extremely wrong. "Susan?"

"Stephen, do you have any time you can take off?"

He was becoming concerned now she never had asked him to take time off.

"Is everything okay, Susan?"

"I can't say it over the com channel, it is too sensitive." She
seemed to consider why she had called Stephen. "Let me say an old
friend has been taken from Babylon 5."

Stephen shook his head, still a little fuzzy. "Old friend?"

"Someone who couldn't move himself around."

A look of knowing slowly spread across his face, then horror, then
confusion. "What in the world!"

"Morden."

"Oh...This has got to be a mistake.." He placed his hand on his head,
and took a deep breath looking to his friend.

"I wish it was, it isn't. Zack has confirmed the missing friend and
the identicard was confirmed, the information is correct."

Stephen shook his head still not believing this could be true.
"Are you heading there now?"

"Yes, I should be there by the end of the day." Susan hadn't slept a
wink since she had received Captain Lockley's call. What was going to
be next?

"I will contact Garabaldi." He gave Susan a supportive look. "I
can't get away right now."

"I understand," she smiled. "It will probably turn out to be a
prank."

Stephen nodded and hoped deep down, however cruel, that this was a
joke.

"I hope you are right, but I will see if Garabaldi can get to
Babylon 5 to help."

"Thanks Stephen." She wasn't going to cry about this, no matter what.

"If you need to talk, let me know." Stephen smiled, they both knew
how this was going to affect her and neither of them really wanted to
revisit that heartbreaking situation. He would be there if she needed
him.


* * * *


Morden watched the man who had delivered the body of Marcus Cole sitting in the
next room. His associates, as he used to call them, had told him to send this
man on his way and give him the usual method of payment. So with the old grace
of his youth, Morden walked into the room.
"You did a good job"

"Well, that's what you paid us for."

"Your payment has been loaded onto the ship, you may go."

"Great. If you have any other jobs, let me know."

Morden walked to the docking bay with the man, watching him board
the ship, then the man took off. He moved over to a vid screen
and watched the man's ship departing, he smiled and began to walk
away. On the screen, the dark, shimmering darkness of a squad of
Shadow ships materialized around the mercenary's ship.

The man who looked exactly the same as he did twenty years ago,
didn't even watch the destruction of the craft on the screen.



Return from the Darkness 7 BY: STARKILLER.

The shuttle was, as always, slow. Ivanova chaffed at the delays.
She should be there, on Babylon 5, NOW. She needed to see for herself
what was going on. But no matter the speed of the ship, travel
from Earth to the station took time. She resigned herself to wait.

Her personal com unit beeped gently at her, and she activated it.
Immediately the familiar and welcome tones of Michael Garibaldi
fell upon her ears.

"Hey, Ivanova. Stephen told me what happened. I've rerouted your
shuttle to Mars Dome. I'm coming with you."
A wave of relief washed over Ivanova. Hearing the steady tones of
Garibaldi and his decision to join her made her feel a little
better. She smiled in spite of her growing worry and replied.

"Michael, its great to hear your voice again. Thanks....I
appreciate it. I could use a little good news about now."

"He was my friend too, Susan."

"What about the company? Lise? Can you spare the time?"

The question was a formality, but she had to get it out of the
way.

"The company be damned. Lise understands. So yes, I can spare the
time."

There was a long pause, and Ivanova knew he hadn't quite finished.

"I also got in touch with Sheridan and Delenn. Delenn can't make
it, but Sheridan can. In his words 'I'm hauling ass to get there
Michael.' So don't worry about it Susan. We're going to find out what
Happened, and fix it. As G'Kar once said to me, 'whoever did this will
first know pain, then he will know fear, then he will die'."

"Michael....we know who did this. Zack told me. It was Morden,
that son of a bitch!"

"Isn't he dead?"

"Yeah."

"Damn. He sure gets around for a dead guy. Don't worry about it
Susan. We'll find him, then I'll hold him while you teach him the
true meaning of fear and pain. I understand John's got a few
things he wants to do to the perp as well."

She smiled again, and relaxed ever so slightly.

"Thanks Michael. I'll see you soon."

"Got that right. Garibaldi out."

______

The shuttle docked at Mars Dome, and Garibaldi boarded. He and
Susan embraced, the tight, worried embrace of two friends who were
extremely concerned for another, more helpless friend who, were
he alive, could get himself out of any given situation with less fuss
and a higher body count than both of them put together. How Morden had
managed to steal a cryo unit, a huge, bulky thing, and secrete it
away from all searchers, remove it to gods only knew where was
something neither of them wanted to face.

Shadows. They move. Again.

________

John Sheridan was in a towering fury. Delenn had at many points in
the near and distant past, told him he was often at his most attractive,
and always at his most efficient, when angry. The head of the
Anla'Shok herself had been terribly upset when he had told her of
the events that had transpired on the station. Her rage, however, had
awed him. Not since the Earth/Minbari war had he seen such rage.
That rage had galvanized him into acting, and he had left Minbar for
the station on the first available White Star.

Arriving on Babylon 5 was like a homecoming. He only wished that
it were under happier circumstances. He walked through the docking
bay, handed in his ID card and smiled tightly at the security officer
who politely welcomed him back. Moving through the station, he headed
directly for the office of Zack Allen.

Zack was effusive in his greetings. Relief coloured his voice, the
dark circles under his eyes mute testament to the worry that the
security chief felt about the circumstances. Sheridan himself was
worried. Very much so.

"Zack. It's good to see you again. How are things?"

"Mr. President. It's good to see you too. Things are....well,
tense. It's quiet out on the streets, but people know something is up.
Increased security, higher levels on and around the Medlab bays.
They might not know what, but they know something is happening,
something bad."

"Hmm. Is Mr. Garibaldi here yet?"

"No, sir. He should be here shortly though. We got a communication
from him and General Ivanova a little while ago. They're about one
jump away from the station."

"Good, good. Keep me informed Zack. I want to personally meet them
when they arrive."

"You got it, Mr. President. Would you like me to show you to your
quarters?"

"Thank you, Zack."

__________

In a darkened room, the deep, midnight pools of the eyes of Mr.
Morden were alight with a strange, almost hypnotic glow. He had
the prize of all prizes. Now those fools on Babylon 5 would pay for
what they had done to him, his associates, Z'Ha'Dum-his home.

"Soon, Ranger Cole. Soon now."


Return From the Darkness Part 8 Shadowship Brita

"Who am I?" Marcus spoke his question out aloud.

"You know who you are," a voice spoke to him.

"Father? Am I dead? Is that you? Are you picking me up?"

"Yes, we're your father indeed, but no, you're not dead. You're at home now,"
the voice answered him.

He was shocked. He knew that voice from somewhere. No, he had watched
recordings...of Susan, Susan when she had been on Epsilon 3 and had seen the
eyes...Shadows! Marcus tried to jump up as quickly as he could but immediately
lost his balance and fell, his atrophied muscles giving way beneath him.

"We won't hurt you."

He could then make out the figure of the hated Shadow creature standing right
in front of him.

"I died for Susan. Why am I alive? What happened? I thought you had left the
galaxy."

"You were in cryo," the Shadow replied.

"What? Who did that? You? How did you get me??" Marcus was upset.

"No, not us. Susan Ivanova ordered you to be put into cryo hoping that someone
would find the technology to restore your life force and wake you up. Well, we
already have the ability to restore your life."

Marcus was stunned, but he was reasonably certain the Shadow was being
truthful. Of course Ivanova would do something like this. She'd punish him even
though he was dead. But what sort of a life would it have been for him had he
been restored years later? She'd be dead. The thought stopped him cold.
"Susan...is she?"

"No, she's much older, but alive. Look." With these words a vid screen hummed
to life, and Marcus saw a recording of the events that had taken place since his
death. He saw himself being placed in cryo; the conclusion of the military
action to take back Earth; and the last recording was of her accepting command
of a Warlock ship some years ago.

"I can't believe she did that, put me in cryo-freeze. She must really hate me!"

The Shadow smiled. "I would not see it that way Marcus. You now have a chance
to see her, to go back into her life and re-establish your relationship," the
Shadow said to him.

The offer piqued Marcus' interest momentarily. "And at what price? You'd never
do that for free. I understood you went beyond the Rim, you weren't supposed to
try to influence the younger races any longer. You're breaking the rules."

"Rules are made to be broken. That's the principle of Chaos. Break the barrier,
live, just do it, no rules, no barriers, just freedom that leads to evolution
through chaos. The price? Nothing, just that you keep our existence secret and
you perform a few errands for us. Co-operate with us and what do you get? Your
life, your desires, and, who knows, possibly even Susan? All we ask is to
accompany you. No one will know we are with you."

"The answer is NO! I prefer to die than join you," Marcus replied.

"I'm sorry, this option does not exist. You either let us 'shadow' you or you
fly for us, and that would be against your will," the Shadow replied.

"Evolution! Right! Still only two choices, huh? Nothing's changed since
Anna's fate with the Icarus," Marcus hissed.

"No, no, there will be a third option, a very nice option. But, you see, we are
still rebuilding so this option is not available immediately. So for now you
accept our offer or you fly for us."

Marcus did not understand what the Shadow meant, but considering the source he
wasn't willing to accept either option. Whatever happened he would never work
for the Shadows of his own free will. He made that clear and, still
struggling, he was handed over to a Drakh.

The whirling of a drill was heard. He screamed as he felt it entering his
neck.
--------------------------
Talia screamed. Through the link Lyta established with Talia she could feel the
echo of the pain Marcus was enduring. But Marcus was dead! That's what she was
given to understand. She tried to enter deeper into Talia's mind, but could
not get deep enough. Obviously the link wasn't sufficiently strong. That meant
if there was some connection with Marcus then he must be far away.
-----------------------------
The pain finally stopped. Marcus felt dizzy. Images appeared before his eyes.
He saw the beauty of the ship, felt its need, its desire for spreading chaos
and destruction; felt the almost overwhelming desire to fly, to be one with the
ship, to experience the beauty of hyperspace, serving the Shadows, peacefully
gliding in the silence of space.
------------------------------
Talia finally started to feel better. Lyta helped clean and calm her friend.
The link Talia seemed to have with Marcus was quiet now, calm. Maybe he was
finally at peace? It felt quiet. Talia seemed to be alright for the moment.
I'm going to rest for a while Talia sent to Lyta.

Lyta was relieved, but she was still worried about what had suddenly provoked
this reaction.
----------------------------------
The Shadows watched Marcus joining with the ship and taking off into the
atmosphere. The joining was not as they wished, but they'd had no choice.
Shortly before he fully merged they broke the link he was forming with the ship,
causing Marcus to become dizzy and confused. Suddenly all the beauty was
gone...well not all...the strong desire to serve the Shadows and be one with the
ship remained. He felt warm and calm now, yet disoriented, as the Shadows
brought him back to the surface and removed him from the ship.

"Marcus, we want you to sleep now," the Shadow said as he led the Ranger to a
room. "Remain here and relax and sleep. You have a hard mission ahead of you.
And you will see Susan," the Shadow said.

"Susan...oh ..yes, why not," he said wearily, and falling onto the bed,
promptly fell into a deep sleep.

The Shadows met in their council room. "This assimilation was not what we
wanted, but we had no choice. Marcus was not willing to co-operate. I
realize we nearly wasted a ship, but you know that in joining with a ship the
ship surrenders its body and systems to the CPU and the CPU surrenders its
personality to the ship, perfect symbiosis. To put him in and then bring him
out before the complete connection was made was the only way to make him like
Anna, unmodified, yet still loyal. We still have not had the chance to build
the third option, the device for directly influencing the psyche of a human, and
we need Marcus now," the Shadow said to the elder.

"Yes, I understand the problem. But it seems the ship is still able to carry
another symbiont and Marcus seems conditioned perfectly."

"But when I said the name Susan Ivanova I saw some fire in his eyes. He was
not fully integrated with the ship and we did not allow him to fly for very
long. What if he's not a 100% conditioned?"

"That indeed is a problem, but we can risk it. We're linked with him. If we
notice anything amiss we can bring him back and take further measures. Let us
send Marcus the way he is, but let's improve our technology to make him better
conditioned."

The Shadows fully agreed. Then the elder spoke. "Well there is one final
decision to make. Should we send him back fully cognizant, or should we make
him forget everything and just drop him off somewhere but control him through
the permanent, subconscious link with his emotions?"


Return from the Darkness part 9 by Red Wulf

The creature known as Marcus Cole stared dumbly around him. He was unaware
of the things going on. He only reacted to one stimuli, the name Susan
Ivanova. It was as if the Shadows had drained all other emotions from him.
Some say however, that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and if one
could see behind the eyes of this man that had once been Marcus Cole, one
would know true fear, for there stood, wearing black gloves and a solid
black uniform, an evil blonde that had already almost destroyed Marcus'
beloved Susan. There stood the evil in Talia's soul.

Her smile was wicked, and she knew that eventually she would once again be
free. The mind she occupied wasn't strong enough to keep her out, only the
Shadows stood in her way. Without telepathic defences this body would soon
be hers.

But to every point there is a counter point, and further back in the
landscape of the mind that was once the sole property of Marcus Cole, stood
a figure in black and grey silks that bespoke of the Rangers. His dark hair
caught a subtle breeze as he opened and closed his Denn'bok, one of his only two
defences against the evils he had to battle to regain his own life. He
reached out to the other Talia Winters to inform her of what was
occurring.



Return From The Darkness Part 10

By Sarah

Above the barren red surface of Mars, stars twinkled against the inky
darkness of the night sky. Within the main domes which covered the civilian
population centres it was similarly dark, sophisticated computer systems
matching the lighting to the planet's day/night cycle. However, in a small,
inaccessible dome located hundreds of miles from the nearest settlement,
there was still considerable activity despite the lateness of the hour.

Talia Winters was having trouble concentrating on Lyta's
intelligence briefing. For some hours now she had been feeling an insistent
itch at the back of her mind, a merest hint of telepathic contact. For some
reason she was convinced it had something to do with Marcus Cole, but the
previous sensations had been so powerful and intense, and this was so faint
she struggled to convince herself she was actually feeling it. Lyta had
tried to contact Michael Garibaldi to find out if anything was going on with
Marcus, but for some reason he had left Mars very suddenly, telling no-one of
his destination.

Giving up the fruitless battle with her concentration, she stood up and
walked out, feeling Lyta's concerned gaze upon her back as she left. Great,
that was all she needed, for Lyta to think she was going nuts. Hell, maybe
she was. Her rational mind insisted there was no way she could have formed any
sort of link with a man she'd never even met, who wasn't even a telepath. The
only thing they even had in common was their mutual attraction to Susan Ivanova.

Susan. Talia flinched, the pain not dulled by familiarity. God only
knew why she'd agreed to Lyta's demand that she not contact her since her escape
from the Corps. At the time her need for vengeance had been her overriding
concern, but over the years she'd begun to regret her impulsiveness.

Forcibly wrenching herself away from fond thoughts of her former love,
she returned her attention to her mental tormentor. There was one way she could
attempt to intensify the psychic link. Hyperspace had long been known to
enhance telepathic communication, and it was just possible she'd be able to find
out who was trying to drive her insane. With a determined stride, she headed
towards the dome's small shuttle bay.

----------

In Marcus' body, Evil Talia smiled wickedly as she packed her small
shuttle and prepared to depart from the Shadow base. She had her instructions,
and she was going to enjoy carrying them out. President Oh-So-Mighty Sheridan
was going to pay for his vanity, his pathetic belief that he knew what was right
for the human race. Not just Sheridan either, but his allies as well. They
would all pay, and she would be the instrument of their downfall. One by one,
she would tear their minds to shreds. G'kar, that pompous, arrogant Narn;
Delenn, let her much vaunted prophesy save her now; Ivanova... Her smile
twisted. Oh, now that she WOULD enjoy.

"The Talia I knew is dead."

The words echoed from the recesses of her memory, although they had
been unnecessary - Ivanova's look of horror and disgust had been more than
eloquent. Susan had loved the other Talia, but not her. Evil Talia laughed. She
would avenge that rejection too, and it would be all the sweeter for the fact
that the mind-torturing precious Susan would be hidden in the body of her
beloved Ranger. Weak, romantic fools both of them.

----------

In a similar shuttle, millions of miles away, the body and original
personality of Talia Winters frantically sought to wring more speed out of her
craft's engines. Now she knew what that persistent mental tingle had been trying
to tell her - the last throw of the dice by a man who could do nothing but
scream into the psychic ether in utter helpless desperation. Now one thought ran
over and over through her brain like a litany, compelling her to this headlong
race.

Susan, she had to save Susan.

----------



RETURN FROM DARKNESS PART 11 - By Sylvia



Susan Ivanova had pulled strings to get a message through to the shuttle's
captain. She had requested a place on the bridge when they exited the jump gate
and finally arrived at Babylon 5. The captain had been eager to accede to her
request; it wasn't every day someone of her calibre hitched a ride on an old
ship like his. Now she and Garibaldi waited, tense and expectant, as the shift
from hyperspace occurred.

The momentary disorientation subsided quickly, and she stared out across the
expanse to the huge ship that quickly filled the view screen. It was as
beautiful as she remembered. Years had passed before she had felt comfortable
enough with her memories to risk a trip back to this, her old stomping ground.
But there had never seemed time enough in her hectic schedule to test the
theory. The tightening in her gut showed her how foolish that assumption had
been. She would never be ready to return.

Crisp orders flew back and forth all around her, but her attention was fixed on
that shiny, soon to be piece of space junk.

"Susan?" Garibaldi touched her arm, dragging her attention back to the bridge.

"Sorry, Michael. You were saying?"

"I was just saying we'd better get our stuff together and make a move. You do
want to be first off this ship, right?" The tight smile barely hid his anxiety.


--------------------------------------

Garibaldi took Ivanova's identicard and handed it to the young officer, whose
eyes were even now fixed on his scanner. Word of their arrival must have been
passed along, as the man suddenly stiffened and saluted. Garibaldi made a note
to speak to Zack on the laxity in his security detail.

Susan had eyes for nothing except her surroundings.

Memories poured over her, seeping through the armour she though she had erected.
The hustle and bustle around her faded, to be replaced by vivid memories that
made her heart ache. Well-remembered voices replayed in her head, scenes
re-enacted themselves. Pain settled in her soul.

"Susan! Michael!" Sheridan's strong voice pulled her back to the here and now.
He was as buoyant as ever, striding toward them hands outstretched in welcome.
Only the tinge of grey at his temples detracted from her long held memory of
him. He hugged them both, holding Ivanova tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Susan. We'll find him though. Stephen has called in, he's managed
to get the time off and he'll be with us tomorrow. Zack has set up a meeting
room for us, but if you'd rather get settled...?"

"No, let's see what they have so far." She strode down the familiar corridors
and let her mind wander into the past again. How many times had she walked these
same sections, Marcus at her side, annoying the hell out of her with his chirpy
familiarity? If she strained just a little harder she could hear his voice, see
the warm green eyes that had lovingly mocked her time and again. Oh damn.
---------------------------

Morden looked at himself in the mirror, checking his clothing one last time. The
meeting ahead would be a crucial one and his associates had insisted he return
to the suits he normally favoured. They wanted him to make a good impression, at
least until they had the old man under their control.

Smoothing one hand over his glossy hair, he studied the reflection critically.
Something was not right, he knew it. He knew it, yet he could not pin down what
was troubling him so much. Lately, when he tried to remember things from his
past, things before Zha'ha'dum, he had found his memory fractured, incomplete.
Like a jigsaw only partly finished. Sometimes he felt like a stranger acting out
a part. And the unbidden anger. He did not remember this anger being part of his
life before. He recalled the beautiful face of his wife, and yet he could not
remember her name. He had vague recollections of an accident, but not of his
recovery. Shadows gave him life again, he knew that, and he believed in them
whole-heartedly. Chaos was the only way to survive, to move forward, and yet...

Doubts rose again within him, and the practised smile faded.

---------------------------

The old man rose with difficulty as Morden entered the room, his smile in
evidence as he held out a welcoming hand. He was aware of the two Shadows that
stood close beside him, whispering their instructions directly into his
conscious, but no trace of that knowledge reached his smooth features.

"Eldan, welcome to our humble home. I trust you found everything in order? Is
there anything we can get you?"

"I'm fine," the old man replied tetchily. "So, what is so all-fired important
that you dragged me away from my research."

Morden's eyes cloaked briefly as he thought *If only you knew old man. You could
be the person to save us.*

As he took a seat, Morden indicated to the Techno-mage to join him.

-------------------------
Return from the Darkness part 12 by Ceriana Darkthor


~*~*~
Talia was tired from the journey; she had been so stressed at trying to
make it to Babylon 5 she hadn't had any rest yet. She set the ship on Autopilot
and rested back in the command chair of the ship.


Marcus could see nothing but darkness, feeling a cold chill, the
sensation of his body's movement, and the feel of the clothes he wore. An
emptiness surrounded him and nothing else seemed to matter. A sliver of light
gradually opened up, blinding him briefly, into a shower of light that allowed
him to finally see himself. He wore a black shirt with an open neck, a pair of
black pants, and black calf high boots. He felt his chest with his hands,
something was amiss, he couldn't pinpoint it though. Looking out into the
surrounding darkness he could see nothing substantial, just brief glimpses of
what appeared to be shadowy forms.

When he tried to get out of the circle of light, he couldn't. That was
beginning to irk him very much.

"Hello?" he said casually, wondering if he would even get an answer.
"Is anyone there?"

His voice echoed in the barren darkness. He began to hear whispers
from behind him and he turned quickly. Nothing.

"Hello?" He spoke a little louder this time. He was still completely blind to
what laid out in the seemingly endless darkness.

Trying again to step out of the light that shone on him, a gripping, sudden
gut wrenching pain blasted through his form. He pulled his unsteady hand back
into the light and his pain ceased. Turning at the sight of a movement beside
him he cried out louder.

"Show yourself!"

He wasn't in the mood for this; he had places to go, somewhere safe,
quiet and where he could find a restful peace. Something was
dragging him down and keeping him here, and for the life of him he
couldn't figure out exactly what.

"Damn it....Who are you!?"

His anger flared into the empty blackness.

"Stop it!" the feminine voice replied. Marcus swung around to the
voice, but found no one around him.

"Who are you!?" he demanded defensively, as he tried to see who was speaking to
him.

"You know me, Marcus..."

That voice, he knew that voice, it had been such a long time since he
had last heard it though. Baffling him, he didn't feel or appear to
be older at all.

"Who are you?" He tried to calm the fears that began to creep into his mind.

"Talia...Talia Winters."

Marcus was briefly blinded by another streaming light coming from across the
room from where he stood. As his eyes adjusted, he tried to cross to the light.
Again, he was still rooted in the same spot. This was absolute insanity of the
highest level, was all he could think.

In the light across from him was a familiar blonde woman wearing a black suit
that was tailored nicely to her form. She had her hair pulled back into a tight
ball and her red lipstick seemed to glimmer in the white light. Her features
were sharp and unmistakable. He had a faint memory of this woman, but couldn't
really say much else about her.

In fact, when he tried to really remember anything specific, he couldn't.
They were more like drifting images that he could recall for only short periods
of time. His green dark eyes looked to the woman.

"What am I doing here?"

He gazed at her darkly, wanting an answer. She simply smiled, and shocked him by
walking out of the light and heading over to where he was.

"They need you...Ranger Marcus Cole.." She said his name with a slight disdain,
which he picked up on immediately.

"Who are 'they'?" he said, beginning to not like how this sounded.

"The friends who brought you back." She paused dramatically.
"The friends who cared enough to return you to your former state,
unlike some others, who didn't care to do that."

She stepped up to Marcus and gazed deeply into his
eyes. When he looked into her face he saw something that terrified
him more than anything else had. There was a darkness that watched
him, from behind her eyes. It was cold, cruel, alone, and was
demanding his very soul right then.

"Do you really miss her that much?"

Marcus tried to pull away from the vision in front of him, he was
trapped in the light and in her grip, there was no way out. She
began to chuckle as he stood prouder and straighter than he had been.

"Oh, I like that..." she said, with a smile on her face.

"Get away from me Talia," Marcus said firmly.

"It is not that simple Marcus." She moved back and then turned to look at him,
"You see, the one thing you fought against....you have become."

As Marcus stood there, he began to see the shapes and forms of the Shadows
that milled around him, watching, spying and possessing him. His horror had come
to full fruition. He clenched his jaw; they would not do this to him.

"What in hell have you done to me?!?" was the only question that he was able to
get out through his clenched teeth.

"Only what we needed to do." She extended her hand, and Marcus refused to take
it. "Now, now, Marcus." She glared at him with a sly grin, and before
Marcus could stop himself he had taken those few steps to move over
to the woman's side.

"Don't bother wasting your energy, we are going to do what ever we
want with you."

He was furious and terrified at what he may have become.

"We have a little surprise for you Marcus." The woman's throaty voice spoke
softly to him, as a lover might. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder, then
looked forward. A screen came up and showed an image of Garibaldi, Zack,
Sheridan and the one that cut through Marcus's veneer, Susan. They were all
much older and dressed in higher ranking uniforms or, in Michael's,
case, civilian clothes. Studying the images, he didn't want to believe
what his mind was coming to the reality of.

"These are the people we are going to see and settle a few scores
with."

His mind cried out, and his fist balled at his side weakly. He knew
now that he had been somehow raised from the dead, and he was an
unwilling pawn to these creatures that stood next to him.

"Don't worry Marcus, I am going to make a point of Susan seeing
you."

There was nobody there to hear the hollow scream that issued from
Marcus Cole's mouth. That is, nobody that could help him.

Talia awoke from her restless sleep. She thought she had heard a
scream, it was Marcus's, of that she was sure, he was now beyond her
help. She was drenched in sweat, and her body felt tired and worn.

Her alter ego had twisted what was left and changed his kind-hearted spirit
forever. There would be no more redemption for Ranger Marcus Cole, and as Talia
took the ship off Autopilot she found herself crying for the lost soul that was
once Marcus Cole.

No one else would know that feeling; maybe one other person would,
but she didn't know if she had the heart to tell her. Lyta had
told her about the relationship that they had never had, and that
Susan had been devastatingly heart broken at his death. This was not
going to be easy at all. As she approached the jumpgate she summoned
all her courage and set the gate to take her to Babylon 5 again.



RETURN FROM THE DARKNESS PART 13.

BY STARKILLER.

The light from the artificial garden streamed into the briefing room.
It cast a golden glow upon all who sat within, although the
expressions on their faces were hardly golden.

This is where it all began, thought Susan morosely. Where it all
began---the beginning of moving forward for the universes and the
beginning of Marcus' love for me....and the beginning of this torment
that I seem to find myself in.

She shook herself; she was too old for such melancholy thoughts, but
they persisted.

In the memory of her mind's eye, she thought back on happier times in
this room. The present was swallowed by the past. Images swam before
her eyes, Captain Sheridan as he was then, issuing orders about the
Shadow war. Discussions about tactics, strategy, sometimes just plain
conversations, winding down after a hard day on the job. A tear slid
down her cheek.

"Hey."

It was Garibaldi. Garibaldi who always knew more and saw more than
anyone ever gave him credit for. Garibaldi the clown, who played up
on that image because he was anything but. His face was full of
compassion and resolve. She smiled through the tears at him. He
squeezed her arm.

"We'll find the bastards, Susan. You can count on it. Then we'll give
them a G'Kar-like lesson."

She started to laugh.

"Are you going to philosophise to them, Mike?"

He grinned back.

"No. I was thinking more along the lines of something he said to
another Narn when the station first went operational. He said 'first
you will know pain, then you will know fear, then you will die.'
Seems to be pretty fitting. Of course, he had Na'Toth with him, but
I'm sure you can be just as terrifying as she could."

They smiled at each other, and she took his big, strong hand in hers,
patting it for a moment.

"Thanks, Mike."

"Don't mention it."

The exchange had been, for the most part, unnoticed by the others in
the briefing room. She looked about her, and her dark brown eyes met
the wise, hazel ones of John Sheridan. A thousand memories rose up,
threatening to claim her once again and she blinked. He smiled at
her, and interrupted the conversation in the room.

"We WILL get them, Susan."

"I know."

"Doesn't make it any easier to deal with, huh?"

"Not really."

"Hmmm. Well, I think we should go and wait for Stephen. He should be
here any minute."

They all rose, and as one, headed towards the docking bays.


Return From Darkness-Chapter 14 by Sharon Graves

Susan decided to stop off at her temporary quarters on the way to the
docking bay. She promised Michael and Sheridan that she'd catch up with
them in time to meet Franklin.

"Sentimental old idiot!" she chided herself as she washed her face. The
tears that had been threatening since she and Michael had landed on B5 had
been burning in the back of her eyes, causing a massive headache. Ivanova
desperately hoped that a few moments alone would help her get back her
normal tight control.

Sighing deeply, she entered the bedroom area and stretched out on the bed to
do some breathing exercises that she often found had a calming effect.
Indeed, as Susan regulated her breathing, she found some of her inner
balance returning. And, at the very least, the pain of the headache was
lessening.

The temporary calm didn't last long though. The sound of someone clearing
their throat brought her eyes wide open and caused her to sit up abruptly.
Before her stood someone that she hadn't seen in quite a few years, but she
would recognize him any where, Draal. Of course he hadn't aged a day since
she'd last seen him. Being hooked into the Great Machine on Epsilon 3
definitely had its benefits!

"Well hello, Trouble!" Draal addressed her. "Haven't seen you around these
parts for ages!" The booming voice hadn't changed at all, nor had the
rather jovial, teasing manner that he had adopted when dealing with her.

Susan smiled to herself remembering the stern, forbidding facade he had
first tried to display. Draal had abruptly changed his behavior when she'd
found the courage to stand up to him and had treated her in this friendly
teasing manner ever since. He had also been impressed with her telepathic
abilities that had allowed her to see into the past when she had been hooked
into the Great Machine looking for First Ones so long ago.

"Draal?" Ivanova hastily got to her feet and addressed the older Minbari.

"Good to know I haven't been forgotten after all this time!" Draal's eyes
twinkled as he looked at the older version of the prickly woman he'd met
years before. He sighed to himself, seeing the ghosts of the pain she kept
hidden within herself, guessing that she'd carried this pain within for a very
long time.

"Uh, what are you doing here? Was there something I could do for you?"

"No, Admiral, not really. But there is something I can do for you."

"Are you going to help us find out what's going on here? We've heard
reports that Morden and his associates have returned from beyond the Rim.
And they've stolen...something...off the station. "

"I am here to help, Trouble, but possibly not in the way you might think.
Admiral, I need you to pay me a little visit down on Epsilon 3. I need you
to do this immediately."

"What?"

"You know how to reach me. The defence systems will allow you through to
the surface. You should come at once. I'll be waiting." With that final
comment the holographic projection disappeared, leaving Susan Ivanova on her
own once more.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ivanova deftly controlled the shuttle down to the landing platform at the
entrance to the underground labyrinth that comprised Epsilon 3. She had
left Sheridan and Garibaldi wide eyed with disbelief as she hastily
explained that she had been visited by Draal, and had to take a quick trip to
the surface of the planet. She promised to fill them in more when she
returned, and would catch up with them all then.

Once again Susan was filled with amazement as she stared at the sheer size
of the structures that made up the Great machine. Everything looked just as
it had years ago. Hurrying down the access-way, she entered the chamber
where she knew she would find Draal.

"It certainly took you long enough!" the voice boomed out from behind her.

"I got here as fast as I could!" was Ivanova's ruffled response.

Draal just laughed at her. "Oh, Admiral, it's been so long since I've had
someone to tease. I just couldn't help myself. Now we have no more time
to waste on pleasantries. I need you to step into the Machine once again as you
did years ago."

"Why? Is there some thing that you think I will see that can help us?
Besides, it's still occupied," Susan pointed out, seeing Draal's body still
hooked in.

"Oh, what a bother! I hardly ever spend time in my body any more. Give me
a minute." Draal 'disappeared' from in front of her and the body hooked to
the mechanism came to life. "Alright, if you would just step up into the
machine Admiral," Draal instructed.

Ivanova removed her coat and stepped into the machine as she had so many
years earlier. "What exactly am I looking for this time?" she asked. "Will
this tell me where the stolen...item...is?"

"Admiral, you can stop pretending that I don't know what's been stolen from
Babylon 5. It was the body of Marcus Cole, the Ranger, in cryo-freeze. I
monitor everything that goes on in this area of space. We've got to find
him and discover what the Shadows have in mind. Now close your eyes, breath
deeply, and stop talking!" Draal ordered gruffly.

Breathing deeply, Susan Ivanova felt the world seem to fall away around her.
Visions from her past swept before her eyes as though she were watching a
vid. Some pleasant, others not, but they seemed to be going ...backwards?
She had no idea how long she was caught in this suspended state. Hours,
minutes, days? Time lost all meaning for her until suddenly she was jerked
back to wakefulness.

"Welcome back, Admiral!" Draal said. "Come on, let's get you unhooked from
the machine."

"Draal? What just happened? How long was I hooked to the machine? I feel
some how different."

"Just step down Admiral. Carefully. That's it. I won't let you fall," he
said, taking her arm as she seemed slightly unsteady. "There, now you're
ready to go after your missing 'item'."

"Draal? What's going on?" Ivanova doggedly asked again.

"Oh, nothing much...well...not too much."

As she regained her sense of balance she reached to put her coat back on.
Ivanova glanced down at her hands and caught her breath, examining them
closely. Not a hint of her age was revealed on them. Reaching up quickly
to her face, Susan encountered none of the wrinkles or lines that she knew
were there.

In something of a panic she gasped, "Draal?" She looked up as a wave of
dizziness threatened once again.

Taking her arm to steady her, he explained himself. "Well you couldn't very
well go after him unless you were 20 years younger and stronger!"

Ivanova went limp against Draal as the realization of what he had done
washed over her.

---------------------------------------------

Forcing herself to concentrate, Ivanova steered the shuttle into the docking
bay she had been directed to. She knew her friends well enough to guess
what their reaction would be to her transformation. They were all aware of
some of the powers the Great machine possessed.

For herself, her reactions were torn, but what person in their right mind
wouldn't suddenly wish to find themselves young again? And with another
chance to correct a wasted, unfulfilled life by seizing the second chance
she'd just received? a part of her taunted herself. Well, as to that,
Susan would see how things developed. But one thing she was certain of, if
Marcus Cole was interested in her she wouldn't waste her chance this time
around. She'd grab it with both hands and hold on as tight as she could.

With this resolve firmly in mind, and with a quick, youthful step, Admiral
Ivanova headed off to find her friends. A small smile crossed her face as
she imagined their reactions upon seeing her. She laughed quietly to
herself as she envisioned Michael's reaction. Boy it felt good to laugh!
She couldn't even remember the last time she had.

---------------


Return From Darkness Part 15 by Shadowship Brita

The Circle of the Elders gathered again in their secret hiding place. "I'm
not sure about the alternate personality. She may be loyal now, but she has
her own means of revenge. She uses us to achieve her goals," a shadow said.
"And we use her to achieve our goals," the eldest replied. "We have Marcus'
devotion and the addition of her grip."

"With the little problem that he is devoted to us, but not to her," the
shadow confirmed.

"Time will tell if this will be a problem. You've succeeded quite well in
improving our conditioning methods," the eldest replied.
......................................................................

Talia arrived at Babylon 5. She needed to find Susan. Locating a Babcom
unit Talia tried to contact her. There was a message saying that Susan was
in a meeting.

"Do you want to leave a message?" the computer voice asked her.

"Yes, please." Talia left her message and then walked to the Zocalo to
wait for what had to come as the result of it.
............................................

Garibaldi's jaw fell to the floor at what he saw. The same thing happened with
everyone in the room. For long moments everybody was silent. It was
then Garibaldi broke the silence. "Would Draal mind having me as another
client for his...fountain of youth?"


Return from darkness pt 16 by Red Wulf

The figure of Marcus Cole cautiously exited the nondescript ship,
searching the area around him for any personnel that might be able to
identify him. He was home; he was once again onboard Babylon 5. For now he
had to be careful, at least until he discovered how to locate the ones he
wanted to find. The best place to hide might be Down Below.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Talia couldn't sit still any longer in the Zocalo. So far Susan hadn't
returned her call and she was getting nervous. Maybe she needed a walk.
She had never been one for sitting in one place for long.
As she walked she felt drawn to Down Below. She had never spent much time
In its environs, but for some reason she felt the need to go there.

Talia walked the bowels of Babylon 5 not even aware of what she was looking
for, thinking maybe it was just her way of avoiding Susan.

A hand from behind enclosed her mouth and nose, and a pain burned into her
neck as she heard a British accented voice say, "I was saving this for
Susan, but I might rather collect from you instead." Then her world faded to
black.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"This must be old home week. Susan, Michael, Sheridan, now you...Marcus
should be impressed. Oh sorry...I mean I should be impressed." Talia
shook the sleep out of her eyes and noticed that her vision was much clearer
than it had been only a few moments previously. She looked up to see the
man talking to her, her jaw dropped and she realized her eyes had grown
large.

She had seen pictures and holos of Marcus Cole. Lyta saw him as one of the
great heroes of the Army of Light, a man in his mid to late thirties. This
boy-child staring back at her could not have been a day over twenty. He
looked like he could have been Marcus Cole's son.

As he walked she noticed another difference, he walked more like a woman, a
woman that wants men to notice her, not at all like one of the most
dangerous Rangers in the last hundred years. Talia now knew where her evil
personality was, for that was the way 'she' had walked around Psi Corps
Headquarters after she had been through the change.

She reached out with her mind and met....a brick wall. It was as if she were
trying to scan Lyta.

"Do you like the improvements my associates have given us?" the taunting
smile evident in his voice.

Talia turned to look where his eyes were leading her and saw.....herself, at
least twenty years younger. The laughter behind her drew her eyes back to
'Marcus'. She was revolted at the look in his eyes. In all the times Talia
had watched holos of him, he had pissed her off because he seemed so damn
flawless. But now, with her own evil twin living within him, looking back at
her, she felt more than a kinship for this man who should have been her
deadliest rival. Talia felt compassion and a growing sense of friendship.

"A little gift from my new associates, beats anything the Corps can give you
doesn't it? But on that score you were right. The Corps was such a narrow
little group, all pomp and attitude, but very little substance."

"Why?" Talia's voice came out as a cracked whisper.

"You haven't asked me what I do now." This evil twin that was somehow both
Talia and Marcus asked her. "I know it's killing you. You're 'dying' to
know."

Talia's anger was growing at her inability to even formulate a plan of
attack, but she answered. "What is it you do now? We will win
you know."

Marcus looked at her and then threw back his head and just laughed at her.
"Well dear, that was enlightening! You are as much a helpless romantic as
this fool and Susan Ivanova. But for your information I am a collector. I
collect people that have spit on me in the past. The two I wanted most, you
and Susan, I intend to preserve to stand beside me forever. The rest I
intend to kill, slowly."

"Then let Marcus go. Take me instead."

"Oh really. I hate him almost more than I hate the two of you, and the only
way he wouldn't find a way to stop me was if I killed him. You don't want
that now, do you?" The voice of the Marcus thing whispered in her ear as he
drew her close to him.

"Yes, in the end it would be easier on him." Talia felt the tears begin to
burn themselves painfully down her face. "If the only choice I had was you
or death, I would choose death gladly."

Marcus began tracing the line of her jaw with his finger.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The shrouded figure in Ranger silks stood in the corner of his mind
watching his evil doppelganger, and also felt tears running down his
insubstantial face. He prayed for death, but he knew it wasn't coming. He
knew too well his friends from old. They wouldn't give him up to this bitch,
but instead of warming his heart, it chilled his soul. He wondered what
atrocities this bitch would accomplish in the meantime using his face.


Return from the Darkness Part 17 by Sarah

Susan wandered wearily back to her temporary quarters, her mind still
doggedly worrying over the problem of what to do next. Everyone was here -
John, Stephen, Michael - but as yet they still had no leads on where Marcus
might have been taken. Zack had been tearing the station apart, pulling in
every single one of his informants, but as yet he'd turned up nothing. It
was as if Marcus Cole and Morden had disappeared into thin air. She was
contemplating going back to see Draal, maybe the Great Machine could help
her pick up a trace of Marcus and his abductor.

Collapsing gratefully onto the welcoming comfort of her bed, she
stretched out, closing her eyes momentarily. The mattress was soft and her
eyelids heavy, and had it not been for the sudden bleep of the Babcom unit,
she might not have moved for some time. As it was, she debated for a moment
whether to answer it, sure it was probably some jumped-up Earthforce
functionary demanding to know why she'd left so suddenly. They'd probably
court-martial her, not that she really cared anymore. But after all these
years, duty was too ingrained in her, too instinctive to deny, and she
reluctantly sat up and acknowledged the hateful computer.

"You have two new messages. Message 1 from Talia Winters, 14:36 station
time. Message two from Lyta Alexander, 18:51 station time. Would you like to
play the first message?"

Susan blinked at the Babcom unit, jaw open. "Talia... is dead," she
muttered slowly.

"Message 1 from Talia Winters," the unit repeated helpfully. "Received
10:36 station time. Sent -"

"Oh shut the hell up!" Susan got abruptly to her feet, tears stinging
her eyes. What the hell was going on here with supposedly long-dead people
showing up and others disappearing? If this was some sort of cruel joke -
no, wait. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"Computer, play message from Talia Winters," she commanded.

She held her breath as the image formed on the screen. Talia looked as
elegant and untouchable as she remembered, although there was something in
her eyes that immediately said trouble.

"Susan," Talia began. "If you're still anything like the Susan I
remember, you're probably questioning your sanity right now, or wondering if
this is some elaborate hoax. So let me assure you, it is me, the REAL me.
I'm sorry I had to spring this on you so suddenly, but I don't know how much
time we have. I need to see you then I can explain everything. I know that
Marcus Cole has disappeared, because I have some sort of telepathic link to
him, and I know who's behind it. I also know something of their plans, and
those plans involve you Susan. Please contact me as soon as you can, and be
careful, especially if you see Marcus - he's not what he seems! I'll be
waiting in that coffee shop in the Zocalo we used to meet for breakfast, or
if I'm not there I've taken a room in Red 12. Please, hurry."

Talia faded from the screen and Susan's earlier lethargy also
faded. At last she had some sort of way forward. Tapping her link, she
rummaged around in her travel bag and removed her PPG.

"Ivanova to Garibaldi."

"Susan, what's up? I thought we were shelving things for tonight."

"That was until I had a very interesting call. I need to go and meet
someone, but I'm not sure it's legit. Care to come with me as backup?"

"I'll be right there." Garibaldi cut the connection without further
ado.

"You have one unread message from Lyta Alexander," the computer
reminded her. "Would you like to-"

"Not now," Susan silenced it as she hurried from the room. "I'll catch
up with Lyta later."

"So," 'Marcus' grinned as he continued his invasive scan of Talia's
mind. "You called Susan, excellent. Knowing dear Susan as I do, I'm sure
she's already on her way with the cavalry. You'll like this bit, it will be
just like the Charge of the Light Brigade, but even more futile."

"What?" Talia struggled in his grasp.

"Don't you know your military history?" Marcus adopted a mock-sorrowful
expression as he intoned in a sombre voice. "Into the valley of death rode
the six hundred... "

Back on Mars, Lyta Alexander paced restlessly and wondered what on
earth was going on. First Talia's recent strange actions, and then her
sudden disappearance. She hadn't been able to get in touch with Garibaldi,
who'd apparently upped sticks and left without a word even to his wife as to
his destination. Stephen Franklin, likewise, had taken a unannounced and
unexplained leave of absence from his work. In desperation, she'd even tried
to contact Susan Ivanova, only to find that she too appeared to have taken
off rather suddenly. Then today on the news there had been an item about
President Sheridan cancelling a long-scheduled visit to Narn, amid
speculation that he had been taken ill since he hadn't been seen in public
for several days. Two swallows might not make a summer, but the fact that
all her old friends had mysteriously vanished seemed like far too much of a
coincidence.

If something was going on involving these particular individuals, it
could only mean one place. Babylon 5. Too bad she was still banned from ever
setting foot aboard the station.

Of course, for a Vorlon-enhanced telepath, there were ways and means.


Return to the darkness pt 18

By Sylvia

Lyta strode quickly through the corridors, heading for the spaceport. She still
had contacts, people who owed her favours. Now it was time to cash in on some
outstanding debts. It was time she found out just what was going on; and the
only place all her erstwhile compatriots could possibly be gathering was Babylon
5.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The aged Technomage sank gratefully back onto his bed. Holding his emotions in
check whilst keeping one eye on the Shadows and the other on Morden had been a
struggle. So far as he could tell, the Shadows did not know he could see them -
could hear and decode the messages they whispered into the human's brain. He had
listened in with interest as news, obviously fresh in, was passed to Morden. The
hushed 'he has arrived' did not register on the clones fixed expression. Only
the barest flicker in his eyes told the mage it was unexpected.

He would have to do something with the pseudo-human. He had felt the unease that
worried at Morden. He seemed a willing and devoted disciple, and yet there was
something... Eldan shook his head.

The reason the Shadows wanted his co-operation was obvious, he just wondered how
long it would take them to make the request a demand. His work had been his
obsession for nearly a century, and he was maybe weeks or months away from
perfecting the elixir that could change the Galaxy for ever. Power, unlimited
and amoral was there for the taking. But only he knew the formulae; it was
stored in his own memory, not written down, not coded in an computer save that
which was most unbreakable - his own mind.

There came a short rap at his door. Eldan initiated the tiny monitor he had
affixed to the wall outside and scanned his visitor. Morden, looking slightly
harried, stood patiently outside the room. Scanning the corridor Eldan realised
that, for once, Morden was without the Shadows that dogged his every footstep.

"Come in," he called. The door swished open to admit the dark haired emissary.
"What can I do for you now, Mr Morden."

His visitor walked slowly to the single chair and sat with a deliberation that
more than hinted at his unease.

"I wanted to ask something of you, Eldan."

"What now? I have said I will consider your proposal, and I will. What more is
there to ask of me?"

Morden's hand brushed against his jacket, removing an imaginary piece of fluff.
With his eyes bent away from the mage, he posed a careful question. "Your order
has gathered and collated the histories of many worlds."

"We have," Eldan replied cautiously.

"Do you also chart events?"

"Be more specific please. Just ask whatever it is you wish to know."

"The battles between Shadow and Vorlon nations, you followed that?"

Eldan nodded.

"And did you keep track of the... lesser players as it were?"

Eldan, not noted for his patience at the best of times, decided to curtail
Morden's roundabout questioning.

"Are you asking me if I know what part you played in that debacle? If it is then
yes, I know who you are Mr Morden. I know what you did, whom you worked for and
how you died. Does that answer your questions?"

"Died?" Morden's voice barely rose above a whisper.

Eldan sat back and let his eyes run over the suddenly ashen face. Inside his
mind he composed a message and quickly sent it.

Draal, you were right. We have a new player in the field. Morden is for turning.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lyta stepped off the transport into the hustle and bustle that was Babylon 5.
She had to make her decision quickly; there was only two security men on duty,
her transport being the last to arrive that time of night. It was easy to blur
their minds, to cloud their judgement. Within minutes she was strolling the
Zocalo soaking up the familiar atmosphere. The buzz in her mind was unique to
the station, its singular hum at once comforting and frightening. She scanned
selected passing humans, trying to get a feel for what was going on. Spotting
two off duty Security guards relaxing near the bar, she edged closer. If anyone
knew what was going on they would.

"Well I don't know about you, but the sooner we get this lot off the station the
better I'll be pleased. I remember the last time this bunch got together, we
ended up in the middle of the next Apocalypse!"

His friend snorted his approval. "Too bloody right. Can you imagine the hassle
we'll have if Garibaldi gets back in charge? He is a tough bastard, always was.
Do you remember..."

The men maundered on, reminiscing about the 'good old days'. Lyta had heard
enough. Talking about the ex Security Chief had released all sorts of
interesting information that floated around in their unsecured brains.

Slipping quietly out of the Zocalo, Lyta headed for the Security chief's office,
and Zack Allen. He had been her one friend when the shit had hit the fan, the
one person she believed held no grudge. Things might have been different if
Byron... She shrugged the thought away.

Suddenly Lyta stopped. Surely that could not be? Scanning those around her
almost automatically she had picked up a familiar vibration, and yet there had
been something strange, almost like an echo.

Marcus Cole was here? On the station? But what was that interference?



Return from Darkness Part 19 by Sharon

Garibaldi arrived within minutes of receiving Ivanova's call. "So what's
up? I was getting ready to call it a night."

Ivanova paced the room of her temporary quarters like a caged tiger.
"Michael, you're never going to believe who I received a message from.
You've got to see this to believe it." Without further ado Susan stalked
over to the Babcom unit and instructed the computer to replay the message
for him.

"Susan, if you're still anything like the Susan I remember, you're probably
questioning your sanity right now, or wondering if this is some elaborate
hoax. So let me assure you, it is me, the REAL me. I'm sorry I had to
spring this on you so suddenly, but I don't know how much time we have. I
need to see you, then I can explain everything."

Garibaldi couldn't believe what he was seeing. "What the hell? Talia?" he
gasped. "Nah, Psi Corp. dissected her when..." He broke off as the message
continued.

"I know that Marcus Cole has disappeared, because I have some sort of
telepathic link to him, and I know who's behind it. I also know something of
their plans, and those plans involve you Susan. Please contact me as soon as
you can, and be careful, especially if you see Marcus - he's not what he
seems! I'll be waiting in that coffee shop in the Zocalo we used to meet for
breakfast, or if I'm not there I've taken a room in Red 12. Please, hurry."

Garibaldi could hardly believe what he'd just seen with his own eyes. "She
knows about the disappearance of Marcus? Okay, guess we'd better go check
out this coffee shop, huh? Want me to call Zack for some back up?"

"Fine, I just don't want him showing up with a Security detail and PPG's
blazing. Let's go. This isn't a meeting I'm looking forward to, but if
she's got some sort of lead on Marcus then it's the first break we've had
since this all started."

"Well, not to mention your little face lift." Michael quipped, grinning. He
lost the grin when he received a patented Ivanova glare, and followed her
out the door.

--------------------------------

Zack felt like he was buried up to his eyebrows in all the paperwork
involving the closure of Babylon 5. Why Lochley stuck him with this job was
anybody's guess. He'd had it with pushing paper for today. It was time to
quit, grab a bite, and maybe get together with Garibaldi. It'd been an age
since they'd seen each other.

Just as he was about to leave his office, Zack's Babcom unit indicated an
incoming message. He was about to blow it off and let the computer take it
when he heard who it was from. Jeezus! An incoming message from...Lyta
Alexander? "Computer accept message," he barked. He found himself facing a
woman he hadn't laid eyes on in years. She was still one of the most
beautiful women he'd ever seen.

"Zack, I know it's been a long time but..."

"What the hell are you doing on station? I mean, don't get me wrong, it's
nice to see you and all, but you were banned from B5 quite some time ago."

"I know. Look Zack, I need to see you. Now. Please. It's really
important. It's about Marcus."

Those were the magic words to say to Zack. "Okay, I'm in my office. I'll
wait for you."

"Thanks Zack! I'm on my way."

The head of security sat back down in front of the pile of paper on his desk
and sighed deeply. So much for the quiet evening catching up with
Garibaldi. His thoughts of self pity were interrupted by the chirp of his
communicator. "Allen here."

The voice of the person he'd just been thinking about came across the link.
"Hey Zack, Ivanova and I think we're onto something with Marcus. We'd like
you as back up in case something goes wrong."

"Marcus? Oh yeah? Geeze, Michael, I can send a team out but I've got
someone coming by my office in the next few minutes. You're not gonna'
believe this, but Lyta Alexander is here. She says she has info about
Marcus too." There was silence on the other end of the line for several
seconds. Zack was about to repeat his message thinking Garibaldi had missed
it.

"Zack, we're on our way there. We'll meet up with both of you and then
we've got to check out a coffee shop in the Zocalo. I've got this feeling
that something big is coming down. Be sure you've got your PPG. See ya' in
a few." The transmission ended just as Lyta walked in.

--------------------------------------------

Susan was less than pleased. What she thought would be a small covert
operation, consisting of herself and Garibaldi, had now swelled by two
additional members. Forty five minutes later found the group on the tube
heading to Down Below. After thoroughly searching the Zocalo they'd come up
empty handed. The owner of the coffee shop remembered seeing Talia a few
hours earlier, but that was about all he could tell them. The group had
already been to Red 12 to check out Talia's quarters there. Although her
personal effects were still in the room, their owner was not to be found.
Lyta had mentioned to the group the psychic feelings that she had picked up
that she could swear came from Marcus Cole, but also explained that there
was something 'odd' about it as well. Almost schizophrenic, like she was
reading the Ranger but there was someone or something attached. It was
decided to head to Down Below to see if they could turn up anything there.
They all realized that if someone wanted to disappear on B5 that was the
place. As luck would have it, Lyta, with her Vorlon enhanced psi ability,
picked up on traces of Marcus as soon as they left the tube.

"He's here! I can feel him. He's close by and not alone," Lyta informed
the group softly.

"Down this way," she indicated, heading down the dim corridor. "The feeling
is getting stronger. We must almost be there." Lyta placed her hands
against the wall and closed her eyes to concentrate. "Yes! Just behind the
next door. It's Marcus, and he's holding Talia prisoner."

Susan, Garibaldi, and Zack all pulled out their as they prepared to storm the
door. Zack used his ID card and access codes and ordered the door to open. It
silently slid open to reveal the
yawning darkness within. "Lights. Low," Zack ordered.

With PPG's poised, they slowly entered the room. It appeared to be filled
with junk. Crates and boxes stacked to the ceiling. They heard a soft
rustling behind one pile and slowly crept around it to discover Talia, gagged
and bound to a chair. Lyta ran over to her friend and started removing the
gag from Talia's mouth while Garibaldi untied her hands.

"Be careful!" Talia warned, gasping for breath. "He's still around here
somewhere!" Unfortunately her warning came too late as they heard the door
slide closed and the room suddenly darkened again.

"Yesssss, you really should listen to her," a voice whispered out of the
dark. "I'm definitely around here somewhere!" It sounded like Marcus Cole,
but didn't. None of them could explain it any differently, but they all
recognized it. "Ah! Quite a successful hunting trip for the first time
out! I've caught so many of you, so easily! Including my dear Susan! I've
waited for you. I wanted to thank you personally for placing me in that
living hell called cryo freeze." There was the sound of soft evil laughter.
Susan was tempted to put her hands over her ears. She didn't want to listen
to the hateful voice any longer. She had enough of her own personal demons
to deal with from the past; carried enough guilt without adding to it.
Ivanova was about to respond when suddenly the room was filled with light,
blinding them all. When her eyes adjusted she realized the light was coming
from Lyta.

"Leave them alone. They are not meant for you!" Lyta's voice was suddenly
transformed as well. As though someone else was speaking through her.
The Marcus creature admitted a terrible scream upon hearing these words.
Then the eyes of the Ranger turned up in his head as his body slowly
sank to the floor. A hazy apparition took shape where Marcus had stood
moments before. It was a hideous creature that appeared to be some sort of
hybrid of Shadow being and a young, evil Talia Winters.

"Soooo, they are not for me?" the creature hissed at them with Talia's
voice. "Well then they won't be for you either!" The Talia creature
quickly raised her hand, sending an energy stream towards Lyta.
Seeing that her friend would be struck by it, the older Talia sprang in
front of the charge, pushing Lyta out of its way. The surge of power hit
Talia dead center, knocking her back hard against the wall, where she
collapsed to the ground.

Lyta turned her brilliant gaze from Talia to the shadow creature. Suddenly
the light seemed even brighter as, what everyone assumed was a Vorlon,
suddenly appeared from within her. The group found themselves witnessing
the ultimate showdown of Vorlon vs. Shadow. The two first ones raced
towards each other and clashed in a maelstrom of light and fury, circling in
battle like a cyclone, spinning faster and faster out of control. As the
two adversaries whirled about, the battle reminded Ivanova and Garibaldi of
the fight between the two Vorlons years ago, when the spirit of Kosh had
helped them drive Ulkesh off the station. As in the past, they spun
seemingly out of control, off the station and out into space, leaving behind
a dazed and injured group that was suddenly surrounded by silence.
Lyta shook her head to clear it and hurried over to check on Talia, Zack
close behind her. "Talia? Talia!" Lyta shook her friend softly, but there
was no response. Zack checked for a pulse and found none. Talia had
sacrificed her life to save them all. On realizing her friend was dead,
tears flowed down Lyta's cheeks. Awkwardly, Zack tried to comfort her.

"Michael, call a med team down here stat," Zack said to Garibaldi.
Susan ran over to where Marcus had fallen. Kneeling, she slowly and
carefully lifted his head onto her lap. "Marcus? Marcus, can you hear me?
Please answer me!" Susan asked gently. "Marcus Cole, don't you dare die on
me!"

He slowly opened his eyes to look up at her. His expression was dazed,
confusion plainly written across his features. "Susan? Where...where am I?
Are you all right? You've recovered from your injuries?"

Tears stung her eyes as Ivanova realized the last time Marcus remembered
seeing her she had been dying from the severe injuries she had suffered
during a firefight with a group of Shadow enhanced Earthforce Destroyers.

"Shhh, Marcus. I'm fine. Rest. Garibaldi has called in a med team.
They'll be here in a moment." Realizing she had been given another chance
she took a deep breath and added softly so only Marcus would hear, "Do you
know I love you?"

The breath caught in his throat hearing the words he never expected to hear
from Commander Ivanova. "Susan?" Marcus whispered, and all the events of
the past several days became too much for him. His gazed turned cloudy, and
his eyes closed once more as unconsciousness slipped over him.


Return From Darkness Part 20

CerianaDarkthor

Stephen Franklin couldn't believe
what he had been told on the Com, he was still irreversibly stunned
as he exited from the lift and hustled down the corridor to Medlab.
Marcus, alive after all these years! It had to be some sort of clone
or robot, there was no other explanation for it, he told himself. He rushed to
the entrance to the Medlab, approaching the current
physician in charge, Dr. Langers Tolbalt, who was there to greet him,
obviously disturbed by Stephen's unusual request this morning.

"You said on the com to clear out Medlab."
Respecting the esteemed doctor immeasurably, he still didn't like
chaos, which this appeared to be.

"Why Dr. Franklin? Without an explanation, this is unheard of?"

Stephen looked to the man as he surveyed the Medlab, same as before,
grinning to himself, then he looked back to the man.

"You do not know the half of it, Doctor. Have you prepared the Labs I
asked for?"

The man nodded, giving him a strange look; things had not been
normal since the old crew of Babylon 5 had arrived. He had been in
the middle of stocking files and pre-shut down procedures on the
Medlab when Dr. Franklin's call had come in. Since there were only a
few cases currently in the Lab, pending transition to another
facility, it had been no problem to move the people out. However,
disorder was not something this man liked, his attention was
shattered though as he stood there.

President John Sheridan briskly walked in, scanning the room for
his long time colleague Dr. Franklin, upon seeing him he made his way
through the Lab.

"Is it true?" President Sheridan asked, a slightly pained look flickered in his
aged eyes.

"I don't know yet, I just got here."

Sheridan gazed about, just now noticing the harried looking Doctor
who currently ran Medlab.

"Doctor Tolbalt, I am John Sheridan. We are very sorry about this, I
know that it cannot be easy for you in the middle of ..." He offered his hand to
the doctor.

"Well," Tolbalt paused, clearly surprised that the President even knew who he
was. "These things do happen...if there is anything I can do for you?"

"Thank you, not right now, but I am sure Stephen could probably use
your assistance..."

Their attention was directed to the corridor again.


A flurry of activity amassed at the Medlab entrance
as Susan, Michael, Security chief Zack, who carried Talia, Lyta and a
shielded Marcus entered the Lab quickly. A group of security
followed, and blocked the entrance to the lab as the group
continued on.

"Valen's name!" Was all that Stephen could think about saying as he saw Susan
help Marcus to the Lab bed that was nearby, while Zack took Talia to
another. Stephen moved quickly to Marcus's side to assist with him.
The current Medlab doctor was in shock still, not moving as he
watched the groups unified movements; they were a well oiled machine,
that much was clear. He had not truly believed that the entire crew
had returned to Babylon 5, but here they all were.

"Doctor Talbolt?" Michael said hurriedly to the man, as he stood frozen in his
place.

"Coming.." Shaking himself, Talbolt moved quickly to the lovely woman on the
table.

Zack, the security chief, seemed concerned about the condition of the
red-haired woman who had accompanied the group into the room. The
woman didn't appear to be injured. Getting his concentration focused
on the task at hand, he checked to see what he could do, if anything,
for the pale-haired woman on the lab table.

*
* *

Morden seemed a little confused by the mages response, had he
been dead? It didn't seem possible, looking to the man for an
explanation he waited.

"Yes, Mr. Morden." Speaking to him in a matter of fact way, "you have dead
many, many, years."

"No..." He didn't want to believe it.

This had to be a difficult concept to accept for him and Eldan knew it, that
would be their key though, their one hope.

"Believe it, Sir. I would have no motivation to lie."


"How??"

Eldan knew he didn't have a lot of time to speak with the true
Morden, he had to hurry. "The planet you landed on." Looking to the man who
appeared to be at a distant place now. "There was an attack, those who didn't
serve were destroyed."

Seconds might be all he had now. "Regardless, Mr. Morden, our time is limited,
trust me on this, we will speak again. Regard my words as you struggle to
surface again." His voice fading into the distance.

With that, Eldan waved his hand, not wanting to be seen by the
persona that inhabited this man's body most of the time. He vanished
in a blink of an eye and the clone stiffened as the true Morden was
replaced by the Thrall personality. It scanned the room. Where was
he going? Oh yes--the mage, he needed his answer. The complicated
mage had eluded him once again, this would not continue, he would
make sure of that. Londo Molari had learned that lesson, so would
this mage. With a smile, he headed for the door. They would decimate
the entire techno mage society as a whole if they needed to in order
to secure the man's co-operation.

As he walked to the door a message entered his mind, they had
lost constant contact with Marcus Cole. It had become sporadic and
distant, he was going to have to find out what had happened. Becoming
frustrated, he headed out. The only people who had been able to
defeat the Shadows before had been the old crew of Babylon 5, but
they were scattered throughout the galaxy, they couldn't have arrived
already. If they had, they would have to implement their plans a
little earlier than expected and the first victim would be Michael
Garabaldi. Thanks to Bester, there was still a remote link they
could play with. One that no one had been aware of. This wasn't over yet.




Return From Darkness part 21.

BY: Starkiller


Carrying the prone body to the lab that Dr. Franklin directed them,
the observers retreated back into Medlab proper. No-one pretended to
understand what would be done or how; medical knowledge was the
province of their friend. The knowledge that what he was doing
the best that he could do was enough. It had to be. Ivanova leaned
into Sheridan for support. He patted her awkwardly on the shoulder,
and she sighed. It was going to be all right, she kept telling
herself. It HAD to be all right.

*****

"Where is he?"

The thrall personality that existed inside the shell that was Mr.
Morden was raging. It was a question that held a multitude of possible
responses, indeed, it was a question directed at the location of
several 'he's'. The mage....the thrice cursed mage, and Marcus? His
friends, his associates....where were they? What was happening?

Deep inside the thrall personality, the real Mr. Morden screamed an
endless scream of despair and horror as the subtle work of the mage
wove through his psyche to show him exactly what his body had been
used for; what his name had been appended to, all of it.

Inside himself, Mr. Morden sobbed in anguish and demanded of an
uncaring universe 'what have I become?'



Return From Darkness Part 22
By Shadowship Brita

Marcus was lying in Medlab. He still was very confused at what had
happened.

Zack had remained behind to deal with Talia's body, but would join them
when he was done. Susan, Lyta, Garibaldi, and Steven Franklin all were
around him. And he couldn't believe it, but Susan was holding his hand. He
closed his eyes. He then felt the craving wash over him, the need to move,
to fly. It was odd, somehow he remembered this as a feeling of comfort, a
warmth that surrounded and protected him. He was in hyperspace, well not
yet, but he wanted to be in hyperspace. He couldn't get there. He had been
stopped.

Do you want to go there? he sensed a voice in his mind tempting him.
He replied in the affirmative and the sensation of flying came over him;
his body responding to the voice in his mind.
................................
"Marcus. Marcus, can you hear me? Please answer me!" Steven shouted at the
man laying inert on the exam bed. He appeared unconscious, dreaming
strange, dark dreams. Susan turned away to hide her tears.

"What's wrong Steven?" Garibaldi asked. "He seemed to respond briefly when
we first arrived. Now it's like he's slipped away from us again."

While everybody had been talking, Lyta had been very quiet, almost too
quiet. After a few moments she broke into the ongoing discussion. "He's
caught up in Shadow thrall."

Everyone fell quiet. Then Susan spoke up. "But we have freed him from
Talia's alternate ego."

"Yes, but he's been joined with a Shadow ship for some period of time. This
connection is a very deep one. Additionally it appears he was controlled
by another personality besides just Talia. From what I can feel, Marcus is
rerunning his program as the brain of a Shadow vessel right now. The
Shadows still have some control over him."

There was silence in the room. "So what do we do?" Garibaldi finally spoke.

"There's one thing we can try," Lyta said. "Susan, only you can help him."

Susan turned towards her, traces of tears running down her face. "Me? How?"

"You have to reach him in his dream state. I will enhance your thoughts,
manifest your images, so that you can communicate. But the person he has to
find by his side is you...for he loves you," Lyta answered.

"He loved me. That was 20 years ago. How do I know he still loves me?"
Susan replied.

"Damn it Susan, you know that he loves you! Now will you try?"
.....................................................

Marcus was flying through hyperspace, peacefully gliding. Somehow this
seemed to be reality, not a memory. The take off from the planet, yes, that
was a reality he remembered, but the flight through hyperspace? No, that
he knew was a dream, but he realized he could make it very real very soon. It
was then the currents of space and time narrowed, somehow the scene began
to change from pleasure to terror. Feeling his environment, he could sense
what it was. A huge maelstrom of a black hole. He sent out a distress
signal, but it seemed to have no effect. As the gravity took hold, the hole
started to devour him.
..............................

"What is that?" the elder Shadow asked.

"I don't know, someone else is in there too," the other one replied.

"Impossible. No one can interrupt it other than the Vorlons..." he paused,
"Vorlons? Yes, Vorlons..." He checked some files.

"Lyta Alexander, P5 telepath, modified by the Vorlons, left behind in the
home galaxy," he reported.

"And Lorien is angry with us, that we have returned!" the elder Shadow
replied.

Together, they began to enhance and strengthen their link to Marcus.
....................................

Lyta felt the darkness in her mind. Something or someone was causing her
extreme pain. Trying to ignore it, she endeavored to send all her energy
into the illusion of Marcus dying as the black hole pulled him into
oblivion.

"Now Susan, now!!!" she screamed.

Zack caught Lyta, helping her to remain upright. Blood was running from her
eyes, which were shadow black. Softly he tried to comfort her.
....................................................

Marcus was afraid, he felt he was dying. His masters had started to reach
him, but he was losing contact. It was then that an image formed in front
of him. A beautiful woman, whose face he recognized and surrounded with
shining light, appeared out of nowhere in the black hole.

Give me your hand

Who are you?

The one who loves you and who will always love you. I'll help you out. The
ship-body will die, but your body can be saved. Give me your hand

But my masters..

They can't follow you into the hole. They can't help you. I can.
Marcus, it is I, Susan, and I love you

A shiver ran through Marcus' body. Yes, Susan. From somewhere he knew her.
A memory ran through his mind. She was dying, but he was willing to die for
her. It was like a vid running before his eyes. He lashed out at the
memories.

You put me in cryo, to hurt me and to let the Shadows find me. I'll fly
for them.

No, I put you in cryo, because I love you and the Shadows can't rescue or
help you, for soon you'll be dead, torn to pieces in the black hole.

Before he could respond, the woman flew towards him and gently kissed
him.Give me your hand Marcus. Please stay with me. I thought I didn't need
anyone in my life, but now I know I was wrong. I need you and I love you. I
cried in Medlab when you died for me. I've grieved every day since. And
with help from Draal we have a chance.

The torrent of the black hole was extreme, but it didn't matter. He felt
warmth wash over him as his human hand slowly slipped through the already
weakened skin of the ship to grab the woman's. For one final second he
could feel the pull of the Shadows, but looking into her eyes he cut every
connection with them, forever.

As he opened his eyes, he found he was being cradled in Susan's arms. "I
love you Marcus," she whispered into his ear.

"I love you Susan," he replied and hugged her tightly.

Lyta felt Marcus was safe and finally concentrated her energy to destroy
the Shadow in her mind. She felt herself slipping away, losing the struggle.
But suddenly her energies were somehow renewed and strengthened, driving
the Shadows back to the darkness where they belonged.
........................................
Lorien approached the elder Shadow. "You still don't seem to realize the
problems you've caused do you?"

The Shadow was startled, struggling to recover from the attack.

"I've tried to tell you that it's time for you go beyond the rim, the
younger races no longer need your assistance. You've grown up, your race
finally understood that they should stand aside. But you seem to be more
primitive than I thought. You disappoint me"

The remaining Shadows started to argue with Lorien, and this time the
discussion went down to every level of the soul. Finally he had managed to
make them understand, to leave for good.
......................................
Morden walked through the access ways of Babylon 5. He suddenly realized
something felt different. Without warning, the Shadows, who had been his
constant companions, were gone. He tried to reach out to them, but there
was no reply. Nothing. He was scared. He felt an emptiness, understanding that
he was alive, but shouldn't be. He had had directions from the Shadows that
he had wanted to break free of, thanks to the insight from the
technomage, and now suddenly the Shadows were gone. He felt totally
disoriented. He leaned against the wall, and for the first time in years he
allowed tears to run down his face.

"No need to cry," a voice said behind him. Turning around, Morden found
himself facing the Technomage. "You're not alone."

"Yes I am. What purpose do I have in life? Spreading chaos? I'm hated by
all. I don't even know myself any longer," Morden replied.

"Be my apprentice. I need one," the mage replied.

Morden was stunned. "Apprentice?"

"Yes, you have potential to be a mage and you already have a head start on
the knowledge of technology," the mage replied.
..................................................................

Lyta collapsed to the floor and was caught by Zack Allen. He gently wiped
the blood away and helped her up. He loved that woman, but had always
thought she was not for him. Maybe things could change. He led her over
to another med bed so that Franklin could check on her, leaving Susan and
Marcus alone.

"Susan, I love you so much. I know we both have had a hard time of it and
we're both scared. But I want to try it," Marcus said.

Susan said nothing but bent to kiss his lips gently. Marcus felt a
thousand sparks run through his body and soul. Reaching up, he tenderly
replied to her kiss.

Franklin cleared his throat reminding them that they did have an audience.
"Well I guess you're going to recover now Marcus. You're still weak, but
knowing you, I suspect you'd recover faster somewhere other than Medlab.
I have 'real' patients here," Franklin indicated to Lyta over on the bed with
Zack bending over her. "But I expect you back tomorrow for a full check
up. And General," he looked directly at Susan, "I expect you to keep an eye on
him until then." And with a wink, Franklin turned away to check on the
condition of Lyta. Susan followed his look towards Lyta. As soon as her
condition was better she would thank her for the help in retrieving Marcus.
With an evil grin Susan then helped Marcus up. "Your place or mine?" Marcus
said teasingly.

"To mine you idiot!" Susan teased him back. "It's been 20 years, Marcus!
You don't have a place on B5 anymore."
...................................................
The black Technomage ship left Babylon 5 heading for the new hiding place
of the mages. Morden looked outside the window to the stars. Yes, this was a
new beginning. Perhaps he could atone for all he'd done.
The end!