harm was intended.
Authors note: I read somewhere once that fan fiction is the way of correcting the mistakes of TPTB. I've
always felt that in the case of Zack Allen, JMS made the mistake of neglect. So, I decided to take his
character and play with him. Then I decided to twist logic (or throw it out the airlock, as the case may be)
and make a leap in characterization. (Let's face it there wasn't that much there to begin with, almost any
story would have to make a leap. Mine was just a little bigger than most.) I guess that you could consider
this to be an AU. It has been noted that the plot line (if you can call it that) of this story resembles a Soap
Opera. Now if that squicks you, don't read this. I repeat, DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU CANNOT
HANDLE AU (SOAP OPERAISH) PLOT LINES. Also, this story was originally entitled Black Genesis.
However, it has been renamed Instances of Transmutation in honor of the episode Moments of
Transistion. A scene from that episode appears at the very end of the story.
Instances of Transmutation
By Marti
Psi-Corp HQ, 2261
"Are you sure about this?"
Turning to glare at his aide, the psi-cop known as Bester gave an indulgent smirk.
"Of course I am sure. Aren't I always?" The aide nodded. Somewhat hesitantly, Bester thought. "You
doubt me?" Bester was incredulous. How dare this near nobody question his authority.
The aide quickly shook his head in denial. Bester could sense that the man feared having one of the most
powerful telepaths in the Corps angry with him. "I do not doubt you sir. It's just that. . . ."
Bester watched amused as the aide trailed off, realizing he was in danger of putting his foot in it again.
"It's just that what? Just that you thought all of the Black Genesis subjects had been recaptured long ago?
Is that it?"
The aide nodded in affirmation. "Yes, that is just it. It's common knowledge within the Corps that the last
escapee was taken in over thirty years ago."
Bester gave a knowing smile. Common knowledge indeed. It was only common knowledge to an elite ring
of psi-cops and their aides, and very few of those who knew that knowledge had the whole story behind
the Black Genesis Project. Addressing his aide in a deliberately vague manner, Bester took great pleasure
in lording his superior position and information over the man. "That is technically true. The last of the
original subjects who escaped was captured thirty years, four months and three days ago to be precise.
However, the person we are talking about here is not one of those subjects."
The aide looked at him curiously. "What do you mean? If it's not a Genesis subject, who are we going to
Babylon 5 to retrieve?"
Luckily, Ivanova had not been on duty in C&C when the Psi-Corps shuttle had requested permission to
dock. Sheridan had, however, informed his second in command that Bester would be coming on board.
He didn't want an accidental meeting between the two, there was no telling how Susan would react if
surprised by Bester's presence.
So now he was left alone in his office waiting for Bester to be escorted here. Sheridan was very curious as
to what the telepath could possibly want this time. After the uneasy alliance they had made to rescue the
shadow modified rogues, Sheridan had honestly thought that they would not be hearing from the psi-cop
again for a long time. Sure there had been talk about the enemy of my enemy being a friend and all,
but...Bester was Bester and he would never really be on anyone's side except his own. Sheridan looked up
as one of Zack's security men brought the telepath into his office. Bester was definitely Bester all right.
The same smug air of superiority clung to him as it always had and always would. Nothing had changed.
"Bester. What are you doing here this time?" The Captain hoped that by getting to the point he could
make the psi-cop's visit to Babylon 5 a short one.
Bester glanced at the guard who had brought him here. "Captain Sheridan, I must confess I am always
constantly surprised by the hospitality on this station." He sighed with mock resignation. "Oh well, I
suppose I will just have to adjust. But really Captain I think that what I am here to impart should be done
in a rather more private a setting. Perhaps just you, me, the lovely Commander Ivanova, and your chief of
security if you must have a guard present."
Sheridan looked at Bester somewhat incredulously. "Let me get this straight. You came all the way out
here to have a private "chat" with Ivanova and I so that you could impart some mysterious "information."
Bester smiled. "You do seem to have grasped the matter quite well Captain. That is exactly what I am
here for, to talk to you, the commander, and your chief of security. He really should be present too, you
know."
Susan rushed down the corridor yelling ahead at Zack to hold the lift. Entering she ordered the lift to go up
to the level of C&C. "Thought you were off for the day Commander?"
Ivanova had a look of utter distaste on her face as she answered the chief's question. "I am Zack, but the
Captain has ordered me to his office. Something about a meeting with Bester."
Susan turned to look at Zack as he made a sort of gasping noise. He looked utterly pale, like he'd seen a
ghost or been confronted with his worst nightmare. She could understand that, it was about how she felt
about having to go and be in the same room with that monster. But still, Zack didn't look well at all.
"Something the matter?"
Zack shook his head jerkily, looking like he was trying to control some sort of panic attack. "No
Commander, it's just . . . do you know what he's doing here?"
Susan shook her head. "I don't, but what ever it is I've got a feeling I'm not going to like it."
Sheridan sat in his office watching Bester, who was calmly surveying his surroundings while they waited
for the others to arrive. He heard the footsteps long before Susan and Zack rounded the corner and
entered his office.
Bester turned to face them as they came into the room. He could almost see the fear emanating from
them. It was so powerful, he didn't even have to scan for it. When he'd first met Susan Ivanova, he'd
sensed the fear then too. He'd thought at the time that it was just fear of the Corps in general because of
what had happened to her mother. But now he knew it was more than that, it was the fear of discovery.
Zack's fear was also understandable, and if anything it was greater than Susan's. Bester mused that it was
probably due to his mother's influence. That woman had been completely paranoid about the Corps, and
she had feared Bester greatly. It only made sense that she would have instilled what she thought of as a
survival mechanism into her son before her death.
Of course, this time their fears were warranted. Bester smiled in anticipation of what he was about to
reveal. "Hello Aaron, I have a message for you, it's from your mother."
Holding up the data crystal, he taunted Zack with the knowledge that he'd been desperately trying to keep
a secret all of his life. "It was recorded right before her untimely death thirty years ago. That was a real
tragedy to the Corps, we all mourned her loss."
Zack glared at him, eyeing the crystal in his hand. Bester felt slightly amused as he sensed the dawning
realization in the other man. He almost burst out laughing when Zack turned towards Sheridan's desk,
stiffly standing at a sort of mock attention. Bester, knowing what was going to happen wasn't at all
surprised with what the man said next even though it was quite shocking to the other occupants of the
room.
"Captain, seeing as Babylon 5 is an independent government at this point, I am requesting asylum from
Earth's Psi-Corps. I'm a rogue, sir, and I won't be taken in by this man."
Sheridan sat at his desk, stunned by the words of his security chief. Zack, a rogue? How can that be true?
He looked over at his second in command and could tell by her disbelieving stare that she was also having
trouble accepting this situation.
Zack had always seemed so normal. Just an average, hard working grunt. Not too bright, but not stupid
either, a little naive about the real world maybe. Not spectacularly anything, just a simple security guard.
Sheridan was starting to realize how woefully uninformed he was about Zack's background. He knew
absolutely nothing about Zack's personal life, where he came from, what he did in his spare time. Behind
that average guy facade was a mystery man and it had been a big presumption on his part to judge what
kind of character Zack was based on the limited information he'd had at his disposal.
It shouldn't really surprise him, then, that something had surfaced to shock the hell out of everyone. But,
never in his wildest imaginings would he have come up with this. Zack, a rogue!
And Bester, what was his role in all of this? He'd called Zack Aaron. Was that his real name, did it really
matter? Why was Bester looking so smug? He had to know he wasn't going to win this one. He had no
authority to apprehend rogues on Babylon 5, they were independent of Earthgov. Even if they weren't, he
had to know that Sheridan wouldn't let the Corps get their hands on one of his officers. What was he up
to? Did he just hope to come here, reveal everyone's secrets, create havoc, and then leave?
Bester was still looking smug. Well, whatever he was up to, Sheridan didn't plan on letting him succeed.
He would grant Zack asylum for now, and after the war with Clark was over he'd do his damnedest to
make sure the Psi-Corp (and Bester!) stayed away from him.
"Mr Bester, I am granting Zack's request for asylum. As I suspect you knew that I would."
Bester, if anything, managed to look even more smug. It was hard to believe possible, but there it was. He
also had an odd glint in his eyes as he looked over at Zack. What was it? It almost looked like...pride.
"You are quite right Captain. I knew that Aaron would request asylum, and I knew that you--as his
commanding officer--would grant that request. I am not here to arrest him. I'm just here for a visit. I
wanted to see for myself how he was doing, it has been a while since I last saw him."
The tone in Bester's voice was very odd now and the smugness was gone. Unbelievably he seemed to be
genuinely sad and a little wistful. Now this situation was getting down right confusing.
"What are you talking about Bester?"
Bester seemed to straighten up in indignation. When he spoke the sadness was gone and his voice was
dripping with venom.
"I am talking, Captain, about a woman who stole a one year old infant away from his home. I'm talking
about a woman who taught her son to hate the one who loved him and searched for him for years. A
woman who abandoned him by refusing to tell the Corps were he was hidden when she was captured four
years later. My wife and Zack's mother. I am talking about a father whose only recourse to see the son
who'd been lost to him for thirty-four long years was to put on the badge of a psi-cop and go hunting him
as a rogue. That is what I am talking about Captain."
Bester used the silence that followed to regain control of himself. It wouldn't do to slip up and say
something he didn't want to reveal yet. When he'd fairly well reigned in his temper, he continued his tirade
against Katya Bester, his now deceased wife.
"My wife was always rebelling against the Corps, and she was extremely spiteful to me. She was never a
willing partner in our marriage, it was a genetic pairing arranged by the Corps and they were determined
there should be offspring. Otherwise what was the point?"
Bester paused here in his narration and surveyed the room. His audience was hanging on his every word,
although they all had similar disgusted looks on their faces.
"Nine months after our wedding night she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Behind my back she
arranged for the girl to be taken away, I didn't know what had happened to her until recently. She had
contacted her brother and had him place the child into the care of some relatives of theirs. Luckily, they
were only able to take one baby in, it would have been too much to try and hide two. So I was able to
keep her from giving away our son."
Bester looked over at Zack at this point in the narration. He looked quite interested. No doubt it was
finding out about the sister he never knew that had generated that interest. Bester had no illusions about
how his son felt about him. Katya had made sure he would be hated.
"One year later, just when I was letting my guard down a little, she went rogue and took our son with her.
I didn't see her again for four years, until she was captured on Proxima. She was alone when they brought
her in, I questioned her for days, scanned her, did everything I could. By the time she finally divulged the
location, Aaron was gone."
Bester stopped his story there for a moment to let the impact of it sink in. There were just a few more
pieces of information to impart and then he would be done here.
"Since then I have been searching. Searching for a son with no idea where he was or what he looked like.
Searching for a daughter who I had even less information about, and no hope of finding. But, recently a
break through was made in both cases. Katya died and her brother, who'd been a rogue since before the
children were born, made the mistake of going to her grave to pay his respects."
He almost spat out the word 'respects.' In Bester's opinion that woman had not deserved any, in life or
death. He hadn't even wanted to give her a proper burial according to her religious beliefs, but it had
occurred to him that such an event might draw out her deeply devout brother, Vladimir.
"When we captured him he was carrying two data crystals. That one," nodding his head at the one for
Zack, laying on Sheridan's desk where he'd put it earlier, "and this one." He pulled the second crystal out
of his uniform pocket and laid it to the right of the first.
"On the first one was a picture of our son, the only one in existence since Katya had destroyed all the rest.
It had been time aged to show what he would appear like now, and there were the records of a private
investigator who had been hired to seek out that man. Vladimir was to deliver the crystal to you, Aaron. It
also contains Katya's last message for you."
"The second crystal was to be delivered to our daughter whom I found out had been delivered as an infant
to Vladimir and Katya's younger brother, Andrei Ivanov."
He turned to Susan who was standing near the wall gaping at him in incomprehension. "The crystal has a
message on it for you from your mother."
Having said his piece he left, after delivering one final silent message of his own. It went unnoticed in the
emotional uproar that followed his parting comment.
Susan stared at the glass of vodka in her hand, swirling the clear liquor around the mostly empty glass.
She glanced over at the bottle resting on her end table and considered refilling her cup. The wolf was
talking again, in fact, since Bester's visit two days ago the wolf had been her constant companion.
At first she'd been in denial, there was just no way that Alfred Bester was her father. The idea was
ludicrous, but then Stephen had performed a DNA analysis on her and Zack. That part of Bester's story
was true, at least. They were brother and sister.
She didn't understand this situation at all. She'd always known all her life exactly who she was--she was
Susan Ivanova, daughter of Sofie and Andrei Ivanov. Now to find out that her parents were really her
aunt and uncle? Dammit! She'd never even known that Andrei had any brothers or sisters. He'd claimed
to be an only child!
She still didn't know for sure that what Bester proclaimed about her family was true, but Zack had
confirmed another part of his story. Zack's mother's name was Katya and she had been married to Bester.
That was about all Susan knew about the situation. When the results of Franklin's test had come in she
hadn't been too keen on talking about it with anyone, much less Zack. It was illogical, but she felt that by
avoiding him she could avoid the reality of this chaos.
Zack sat in stationhouse staring blankly at his security monitors. Since Bester's visit he'd been doing that a
lot. He figured it was a normal reaction to having his world toppled off its foundations.
All his life he'd been hiding, putting up an act for those around him. Now everything was out and he didn't
have to hide anymore. He could be himself.
The only problem was that being himself meant hiding and running from his problems. And now, despite
the fact that they were in the middle of a civil war, he had very few problems left.
His biggest secret was out and he had nothing to fear. He was safe from Bester and the Corps. Whether
that situation was permanent remained to be seen, but still...for now he was free. He was surrounded by
people who knew him for what he was and he had a good job. Life was great.
Except life for Zack Allen was running and hiding from problems. The fact that his biggest, ever present
problem had vanished probably explained why he was so fiercely avoiding the one trouble left in his
world. Commander Ivanova, his sister. His Sister! God, he hadn't even known he had one, much less that
she was the second in command of Babylon 5. Authority figures had always made him slightly nervous.
He knew that he was treating her as if she was a leper, but he couldn't stop.
That was one confrontation that he just couldn't deal with, besides, it was simpler and safer to avoid the
conflict for as long as possible.
Marcus Cole had a plan. He'd been disturbed by Susan's recent anti-social behavior and had done a little
digging to find out the source of her dilema.
What he'd found had surprised him, and since then he'd been doing a little covert spying on the other
player in this bizarre family crisis.
Zack was being as stubborn as Susan. In fact, from what Marcus could tell they'd both been sitting around
in identical stupors, sans vodka in Zack's case. It was ridiculous. He knew what he would do if he was
suddenly confronted with a brother he never knew, he'd want to talk to him and get to know him. So, for
the benefit of Susan's disposition, he'd decided to take matters into his own hands because from the looks
of it they were both just as stubborn as the other.
Of course, he had a plan. But he would need a little help to carry it out....
Susan stared at the door as she waited for it to open. There was no telling who was outside, but she had a
few guesses. It was probably the Captain or Marcus coming to tell her to snap out of it.
The door opened, and one of the last people she expected to see fell into her quarters. Looking out of the
rapidly closing portal she caught a brief glimpse of a Minbari bonecrest and the back of a swirling ranger
cloak.
The mass of black material at her feet groaned in frustration. Susan reached down and hauled her visitor
to his feet. "Zack?"
He had a disgruntled look on his face that told her this was as unwelcome a surprise to him as it was to
her. Turning to the closed doorway he ordered the computer to open it. "Command authorization
required."
Susan shrugged as he looked over at her in a peeved fashion. She didn't know what was going on here
either, although she had some suspicions.
"Authorization Allen Gamma 5, password . . ." Trailing off, Zack looked over at her again. She raised her
eyebrows in question. What could he want? It wasn't as if she could come up with his password out of
thin air if he'd forgotten it himself.
"Password, Lyta." Susan choked in an attempt not to laugh. So that was it? Zack had a thing for Lyta.
She never would have guessed.
"Authorization denied." Susan scowled at the door as Zack cursed the computer. If what she thought was
happening was accurate then her authorization should fail as well. Although she didn't really want to say
her password outloud in front of Zack either. He wasn't the only one with a secret crush.
"Authorization Ivanova Delta 13, password...Marcus." She glanced over at Zack who was giving her a
knowing smirk. She returned the look with her patented Ivanova death glare.
"Authorization denied." An uneasy silence filled the room following the computer's response as the
implications of the situation sunk in. Zack was the first to speak. "Sheridan's in on it too."
Susan nodded in agreement. It was the only logical explanation. He was the only one with enough power
to keep them locked in here, and it was a sure bet that they wouln't be released until the Captain felt they
had worked through their issues rather than avoiding them. It was going to be a long night.
Heading over to the end table she reached for two glasses. "Would you like some vodka?" Looking over at
Zack she noticed that he was taking inventory of her interior decorating. He jumped a little at her question.
"No thanks, I don't really like vodka all that much."
Her jaw must have hit the floor. It was such a trivial statement, on par with not liking sugar in your tea,
but it made her snap. Suddenly every subconscious thought that she'd had since the truth had come out
jumped into the fore front of her mind. In essence--she snapped.
Zack could sense the sudden change in the atmosphere of the Commander's quarters. It was like all the
oxygen had suddenly been sucked out to be replaced by the cold vacuum of space. What had he said?
That he didn't like vodka.
She was advancing on him and even through the mental shields that he regularly kept up, he could feel the
anger radiating off her. Hell, he could practically see it! "Commander?"
He was backpeddaling now, trying to avoid the fit of Russian fury that was storming towards him. His
back hit the wall and still she advanced farther. They were almost nose to nose now. "Co-Commander?"
She was staring at him. Her eyes looked like they were trying to bore through him--to see deep inside, to
see his soul. She repeated his earlier statement, her tone disbelieving. "You don't like vodka?"
"You. Don't. Like. Vodka." The look on her face was growing distant, hard and resolved. The tone of
Ivanova's voice was turning deadly. "It must be true then, you are Bester's son because any self respecting
Russian would never say that. Who the hell are you Zack? Not an Ivanov, not my brother. I don't care
what Stephen's test says. I don't know who you are. You've been lying to us since day one. You lied
about your name, who your parents were, what you are. I need to know why, who you really are. I have
a RIGHT to know."
The words were harsh and the tone was biting, but Zack could sense the reasoning behind them. He
wasn't a very high rated telepath, just a p3, and he wasn't scanning her, but in this case it was not
necessary. She was projecting her thoughts and emotions so loudly a normal could almost have picked
them up. She wasn't really that upset with him, and she didn't actually want to know who he was. She
wanted to know who SHE was. Every truth she'd know about herself had suddenly been shown to be
falsehood, and her sense of self was crumbling fast. He couldn't tell her who she was, but maybe he could
make her understand who she didn't have to be by telling her who he wasn't. Perhaps if she knew who he
was, she would remember her identity too.
Susan sat, contemplating her vodka, long after Zack had finally left her quarters. He'd basically told her
his life story before calling up Sheridan and requesting to be released from captivity. The Captain hadn't
looked to happy when he'd been informed that no real understanding had been achieved. Or had it? She
certainly knew a hell of a lot more about their chief of security now, more in fact than she would ever
have wanted. The story had been a little unreal, but she knew deep down that every word was the truth.
The painful truth.
What had Zack said? That she was the lucky one? When that sentence had first popped out of his mouth
she'd wanted to shout her denial. How could he say that? When everyone she'd ever loved was dead and
buried, when she'd just found out that everything she held dear was a lie. How could he say she was
lucky?
He said that she was someone. She hadn't known what to make of that comment. What ever may be
happening now, he'd said, she at least had an identity to lose. She was someone. A beloved daughter. A
cherished little sister. Commander Susan Ivanova, second in command of Babylon 5, friend of Captain
Sheridan, Delenn, Marcus, and many others.
And who was Zack Allen? He'd asked. A nobody. No one's son. Maybe by birth, but certainly not by
practice. Left to fend for himself on the streets of Proxima 3 at the age of 5 by a mother he could barely
remember. Hunted for years by a father whose nefarious purposes could only be guessed at. Chief of
security of Babylon 5, but only by default. Any one who noticed him at all tended to think of him as
simple, competent but not overly bright. A passing acquaintance of many, but the only man he'd truly
called friend in the past few years had shut him out.
That was the now, but what of the past? She had grown up in a home, with parents who, though flawed
in some ways, had cared for her. Protected her. And Zack? He'd grown up fast and hard. Scrounging
through dumpsters to find food until one of the gangs of older children had noticed him and pressed him
into service, doing their organization's dirty work till he got caught by the authorities. Who hadn't given a
damn about him either.
They'd taken a scared thirteen year old boy, convicted of a minor offense, and stuffed him into one of the
toughest juvenile detention centers on Proxima. Hell, even she had heard of that place before. It was
notorious for producing serious criminal offenders. More murders and rapists graduated from that place
than Ph.D's from Yale back on Earth.
Some of the stories she'd heard about what went on in there made her skin crawl. Everything from
beatings to rapes to murders, and not all of it dished out by the other kids. There had been a big crack
down there a few years after the Minbari War. Over seventy percent of the guards were arrested for some
form of child abuse or misuse of authority. She could only image what being on the inside must have been
like for Zack. From the tone of his voice when he'd told her that part of his past it hadn't been remotely
pleasant. Almost five years he'd spent on the inside. He was released early, before the age of 21, when the
war started. Earthforce had offered all non-serious offenders the option--get out early if you join up and
fight.
So he had, serving on several colony worlds and seeing actual combat before the end. Evidently he'd been
on one of the last colonies that the Minbari had attacked before turning to Earth itself. One of the lucky
few where there were actual survivors.
After the war was over, he'd stayed in Earthforce. Not out of any particular loyalty or devotion to duty,
but because he had no place else to go. The service was the only home he'd ever really had. He hadn't
had a very distinguished tour of duty, and he'd been labeled as trouble because of the way he joined up.
People were wary of giving him a break.
Garibaldi had been the first to really trust him with any kind of responsibility, and he'd almost screwed
that trust up with the Night Watch affair. But he'd needed the money, and Susan had to admit, if you
weren't aware of certain events preceding its formation, Night Watch had seemed benign enough in the
beginning.
But Zack had come through for them in the in that. In fact, there had never been a time when he had let
any of them down. Despite what he thought, the command staff did value him. Certainly it was true that
he had been a replacement for Garibaldi, that no one had ever intended for him to be the chief of security.
But that didn't change the fact that he did his job well.
Of course, recent events had made them all realize that, unlike Garibaldi, Zack wasn't one of them yet. He
wasn't part of the close knit group of friends that made up the command structure of Babylon 5. That had
been a mistake on their part. Even if just for the sake of work, it was important to know something about
those around you.
Why had no one realized this before? Was it because unconsciously no one really wanted to acknowledge
Garibaldi's replacement. That if they personally ignored the new chief, then the old one would some how
magically reappear? Or had it been Zack that was avoiding them?
It didn't matter why now, but something had to be done to remedy the situation. The conversation they'd
had just now went pretty far in filling in some of the blanks, but they still weren't friends. Maybe they
should get together, have dinner, a few drinks?
Susan stared down into her own drink, her rambling musings coming to a grinding halt. She snorted in
laughter at her own mental wanderings. Evidently more of an understanding had been reached than she
had realized. Not once in the past few hours had she thought about the absurdity of the current situation.
Nor had Susan Ivanova crumbled under the burden of lies she'd been fed as a child.
Looking back over the conversation in her mind, she had realized that Zack was right. She had been the
lucky one. It was suddenly all very clear to her. Susan Ivanova was Susan Ivanova. Not Susan Bester, or
any other person for that matter. She knew now that Sophie and Andrei were her parents.
Zack had accepted this, that it wasn't about birth. It was about choice. They had chosen to be her parents,
despite any danger to them that might have resulted from that decision. Who was she to disregard that
choice?
But, who was she to disregard the facts of biology. She could at least make a choice of her own, couldn't
she? She decided. To ignore Bester and all of his implied "fatherly love," and to acknowledge Zack. If not
the blood relationship, then at least a friendship. It was a start at least.
Decided she gulped the last of the vodka down and went to bed, it had been a long night after all.
Zack sat in stationhouse staring blankly at the securecam monitors as his mind wandered over the last few
hours and his conversation with Commander Ivanova. He'd spilled his guts out to her, telling everything,
only glossing over those details that were the most painful to him.
His life on the streets, in the gang, and the juvenile detention center had been related with mere words.
There was none of the terrible emotion and pain that had existed during those times in his recollection. No
way to convey that, even if he'd wanted to dredge up all that history. The story had sounded bland even
to him. It was doubtful if she could truly understand. He didn't think that she knew how lucky she was--to
be someone.
That was what he'd really been trying to get across. To make her understand that no matter what Bester
said, or how many untruths her childhood had been based upon, she still had that. She was still Susan
Ivanova, and no one could take that from her.
She was who she was, just as he was who he was. And Zack knew who he was--the unlucky one. The
nobody. He had never been anybody. As a kid he was a nothing, just another gutter rat. Or a pawn in the
Proxima gang wars. A number in the Criminal Law system. A soldier in the war. An underling, gofer to do
all the dirty work.
It was only very recently that he'd started to fell remotely human at all. Garibaldi had given him his first
real break, a position of some respect. Second in command of security on an important space station.
More than that though, he'd been a friend.
And he'd almost blown it royally with that whole Night Watch business. He didn't know what excuses to
make for that lapse in judgment now. Maybe he was still a little naive in a way. Street thugs and the
criminal element he could deal with, it was what he knew. Hell, it was ALL he knew. Power struggles and
the intrigues of recent times left him mystified. It had been very late in the game that he'd picked up that
maybe Night Watch was wrong, and by then he'd been to deeply ensnared to see a safe way out.
But in the end, he had been able to get out, to do the right thing by helping his friend and commanding
officers. The world still hadn't quite righted itself, but now that the shadows were gone at least they were
well on the way.
Or so he'd thought. But then Garibaldi had quit and he had been shoved into his new role as chief of
security. He wasn't all that comfortable with it, and since the real chief was acting so weird he'd lost the
only friend he could have turned to for support.
Then Bester had come and let the cat out of the bag. Any normality or stability he might have hoped to
achieve in this chaotic time was ripped out from under him. Now he was paranoid that whenever the
Captain or Commander or Doc looked at him, all that they would see was a telepath. A rogue
telepath--Bester's son. Not who he was. Not a somebody--A nobody. No one that mattered anyway.
It was a depressing thought, and his mood was getting blacker the more he considered it. Attempting to
shake off his gloomy attitude he rose to his feet. Time to get out and so something, maybe go patrol
downbelow?
He'd barely gotten to the door when he realized that something was very wrong. He felt dizzy and his
head was pounding. Clutching at the wall in order to stay standing, he moaned as the pain in his head
exploded to a new astronomical level. He barely registered the second wave of pounding pressure, and the
third found him in an unconscious pile on the floor.
Franklin stared, perplexed by the readings of the unconscious security chief. Trying to make some sense
of what he was seeing, he turned to the other two people in the room--Captain Sheridan and a distraught
Susan Ivanova. Well, at least she was finally showing some concern for Zack, although this really wasn't
the best way...
He took a deep breath, composing his thoughts. "I'd like to call Lyta in on this, I could really use the
advice. She might have seen or heard of something like this during her time with the Corps."
The two of them looked at each other, clearly confused. It was Susan who asked first. "What is going on
Stephen? Why do you want Lyta's opinion? What's wrong with Zack?"
Franklin could hear the concern in her voice, she was taking Zack's illness quite personally. He didn't
really want to upset whatever fragile acceptance she'd come to over her new found brother, but he didn't
have much choice. Leading them over to the readout monitor he called up two charts.
"This here on the left is the neurological scan that I did on Zack just after Bester came on board. I needed
to know his psi-rating and since he didn't know himself, I ran the standard scan test. You can see that the
level of chemical here, " he pointed to a red line that crossed the graphic, "is consistent with about a P3.
Notice that the indicator line is stable--horizontal. That is a normal reading for a telepath."
Pointing to the graphic on the right, Stephen began explaining the true extent of Zack's current problem.
"Since I couldn't find anything physically wrong, I ran every other type of test on him that I could think
of. This one, the psi-scan, was the only one with anomalous results."
Tracing the jagged red line with his fingertip, Franklin explained the strange readings. "As you can see, the
indicator line is no longer stable. It is fluctuating widely between the ranges of P3 and P10, sometimes
spiking as high as a P12. I don't know why its happening, but I'm pretty sure that this is why he is
unconscious. His mind just couldn't keep up with the wild changes in input. It would be like trying to ride
the equivalent of a mental roller coaster. Eventually his conscious mind decided it had enough and shut
down."
Franklin looked over at Susan, he could see her working over the information in an attempt to process. He
wasn't surprised with her next question.
"Its definetly a telepath thing then?" At his nod she considered the predicament and options some more.
"Call Lyta, find out what's wrong and fix it Stephen." With that order Ivanova turned and fled medlab.
The dark haired Ranger stormed into Earharts with his long cloak billowing behind him. He was a man on
a mission, a retrieval operation for Doctor Franklin. The object of the assignment sat before him slumped
over the bar, staring morosely into a shot glass full of vodka.
Commander Susan Ivanova looked like she'd seen better days. Saying she resembled the dead would
probably be a compliment at this point. The half empty bottle of liquor next to her on the metal slab
masquerading as a traditional bar testified as to the immediate cause of her funk.
Marcus knew the truth behind the scene though. Susan's only living relative, a brother she'd just
discovered, lay in Medlab suffering from some unknown ailment. A sickness that was apparently caused
by his being a telepath. He'd been there when Lyta had first looked at Zack's chart. He had seen the shock
on her face. Whatever was wrong with Allen, it wasn't normal--not even for a telepath.
Lyta had said she could explain it, but that she would only when Susan was present. Evidently she didn't
want to have to do it twice. So Marcus had been given the unenviable task of collecting Commander
Ivanova. **Now let's see, what would be the easiest way to do this, Cole?**
Debating with himself, Marcus came to a solution. It would be simple in the short run, of course when
Susan woke up in Medlab he was going to have hell to pay. Decided, he snuck up behind his unsuspecting
victim. Using an old Minbari technique they taught at Tuzanor, Marcus soon had a sleeping Ivanova slung
over his shoulder and was on his way.
Susan awoke in medlab with a killer headache, she'd been inspecting the ceilingfor several moments
before she realized this wasn't her usual vodka induced migraine.
"What the hell?" She'd been at Earharts trying her best to become one with a bottle. She couldn't have
succeeded, she only remembered drinking about half the bottle. With her tolerance, that definitely was not
enough to makeher oblivious.
"Well, well. Is sleeping beauty awake now?" Susan turned to the source of the comment. It was Stephen
Franklin. "How did I get here Stephen?" She was really curious to know that fact. It seemed to her that it
would be very important.
"Marcus brought you here. Said that he'd found you in Earharts communing with a bottle. You were
unconscious, of course. But how you got that way you're going to have to take up with him. When I sent
him after you I authorized him to get you here using any method deemed necessary. I guess whatever it
was he did, it was necessary. Hmm?"
Stephen moved in with a scanner and took a reading on her. "Good, the counteractive I gave you is
working. This should help with your headache."
He injected her arm, then moved back. Whatever it was, it DID help. And mighty fast. The relief must
have shown on her face, however.
"Now, since you're feeling all well, its time to go talk with Lyta. She says she knows what's wrong with
Zack, but she won't say unless you are there. I don't know why. We didn't tell her about your relationship
to him. But she was very insistent, and since I really want to know what is going on with my patient..."
She went with him as he tugged her out of the room and into his office where Lyta and Captain Sheridan
were waiting.
The confusing voices had let up a little bit, but not by much. Zack wasn't sure what was going on, or
where he was exactly. But wherever here was, it was dark. And full of voices, so many they just
overlapped into a confusing jumble. For a second, he had thought he'd heard Lyta here.
"Touch him." What? That was definitely Lyta. Touch who? And where was she? He couldn't see a thing
through the blackness that surrounded him.
[Lyta?]
"Just do it Susan, you'll understand why." Susan? Was she here too? Where, damn it? Why couldn't he
find them?
[Where are you? Lyta, Susan?]
The sudden light blinded him. He slowly became aware of another presence.
[Susan? Is that you?]
[Zack?]
Susan looked around at the black landscape. The only thing she could see was Zack, his face glowed
almost ghostly white against the backdrop. The black color of his uniform blended in with the darkness
making him appear to be a disembodied head.
[Where are we?]
Zack shook his head, appearing to be a bit bewildered. He had been hoping she could answer that
question!
[I don't know. Is Lyta with you? I heard her voice.]
Susan looked around. Lyta wasn't here.
[We were in Medlab. She was going to tell us what was wrong with you. She said to touch you, and I did.
Next thing I know, here I am.]
Zack looked around, trying to figure it all out.
[I was in Medlab? The last thing I remember is sitting in my office in Security. How did I get to Medlab?
What happened to me?]
[You collapsed. Dr. Franklin said that there was an anomaly with your psi-scan. Your telepathy was
jumping all over the scale from p3 to p12 and back again. Do you know why? He'd hoped Lyta could
explain....She is up to something! She had to know this would happen. She said I would understand once I
touched you! So I did, and now we're both stuck here. Lyta! What's going on damn you!]
Dr. Franklin worked frantically to hook Commander Ivanova up to the Medlab monitors. Her collapsing
was the last thing he had expected to happen when Lyta had demanded she touch Zack.
Lyta was now standing silently in the corner being watched over by a glaring Sheridan while Stephen tried
to assess what was wrong with Susan.
"Well, Stephen?" Sheridan demanded the moment he had Ivanova hooked up to the scanner.
"Damn." The readings were startling to say the least. And very familiar.
"Her scans come back the same as Zack's. They show the same fluctuation in psi function ranging from
about p2 to p11."
Both Sheridan and Franklin turned to Lyta, who was trying to look innocent in the corner. It was Stephen
who finally broke the silence.
"What is going on with Susan and Zack? I need to know right now. No more evasions!"
Lyta took a deep breath. What she was about to say, they wouldn't like. Or probably believe. She here
self had a hard time believing that Susan and Zack could possibly be....
"Black Genesis."
Sheridan exchanged a confused glance with Stephen Franklin as Lyta moved over to stand beside Zack,
who lay unmoving on a medlab exam table. Next to him was an equally still Susan Ivanova.
"Okay, I'll bite. What is Black Genesis?" Sheridan looked over at Lyta in expectation. Maybe they could
finally get some answers now.
"Black Genesis was a Psi-Corps research experiment begun almost 40 years ago. Officially, it does not
exist." She stopped and turned away from them to examine the readings of Susan and Zack's neural scans.
"But unofficially?" Sheridan prompted her when it seemed as if she would not continue. Lyta had become
engrossed in the play of the spiked red lines across the medlab monitors.
"Unofficially Psi-Corps drafted 50 sets of twins into the Project. They ranged from 7 year olds to 15 years
of age. Some were identical, some fraternal. They sex of the subjects did not matter as long as there was
one male per pair. All of them were low rated telepaths, p1s or 2s.
The object of Black Genesis was to create a force of telepathically linked covert operatives. It was hoped
that the male could be trained as a soldier and sent out on special Psi-Corps missions. The female, or the
physically weaker of the males, would be kept in a heavily guarded Psi-Corps base area.
By having genetically linked telepaths it was thought that they would be able to maintain contact over vast
distances of space. If successful, the operative would have been able to send and receive messages
without having to rely on technological back-up. He would be virtually undetectable and almost invincible.
The perfect covert ops specialist."
Lyta turned to face them then. "Of course, the Black Genesis Project was initially considered to be an
utter failure. They didn't succeed in heightening the psi-powers of their subjects or in linking them
telepathically. And in the end, many of the Genesis twins escaped and went rogue. In the process of
hunting them down, most were killed. Of the original subjects, only 30 lived long enough to have children
of their own. Mostly through the Corps enforced breeding programs. And almost none of these children
were twins."
Lyta took a breath and began to pace about the room. By now both Sheridan and Franklin were silent,
waiting for the rest of the story.
"A few were however, and it was in this next generation of twins that the work of Black Genesis came to
fruition. Although, not quite in the manner expected."
Lyta paused again. The silence stretched until finally Sheridan couldn't take it anymore. "What do you
mean? What was unexpected? Come on Lyta, tell us?"
"The link created a dependency between the two siblings." Franklin turned towards her, a question
apparent upon his face.
"Let me explain, Stephen. You'll understand." Lyta ran a hand through her short red hair then began to
circle around the inert forms of Babylon 5's second-in-command and chief of security.
"The whole point of Black Genesis was to create an operative that could send messages across distances
to their counterpart. But the dependency created a situation where the twins could not be separated.
During wakening hours they could not be more than 10 miles distant from each other without severe
consequences to health, and ultimately, life. While asleep or unconscious, it became even worse. They
had to be within 5 feet of the other or risk coma and death."
Following Lyta's pronouncement, Doctor Franklin began to adjust his scanners and compare the readouts
on the monitors.
"Look at this, their neural readouts are almost exactly in sync. There is a little discrepancy, but it's
minimal. It's almost like looking at the scan of the same person, only at different points in time. I don't
understand. These readings are impossible, but moreover, their neural scans didn't match before. If they
were linked, wouldn't the scans have shown that? And they've been a great distance apart for most of
their lives without any problems. Why is this just showing up now?"
Lyta looked thoughtful, considering the questions. "From the information I saw, not all of the twins were
born immediately linked. Some went through the process at puberty, and some had to be telepathically
prompted to cause the linking to begin. But I don't see how any of those are relevant here."
"Bester." Sheridan was nodding his head as if he'd come to some conclusion. "It has to be Bester. That's
what he was up to with his little visit. It wasn't enough to just come and rock the boat by announcing Zack
and Susan were his children; he started this too."
The three of them were silent as they considered the implications of that statement. It was Stephen who
voiced the obvious question: "What would he have to gain?"
Zack turned his back to her and stared off into the darkness. Susan crouched on their dark plane next to
the single light source, a campfire of all things. It had suddenly appeared in the wasteland a few minutes
after Susan had arrived.
[Zack?] Susan studied the visible portion of Zack's silhouette. Where as she was fully outfitted in her B5
Commander's uniform, Zack was garbed in an assortment of rags such as she'd often seen on lurkers in
Down Below.
[Where do you think this fire came from?] Susan poked at the fire with a long stick she'd found lying
about on the cold rocky ground. Silence was all that met her questions. Zack seemed about a light year
away.
Tossing the stick into the fire, she approached the silent figure of Zack Allan. She laid her hand upon his
shoulder. . . .
And found herself somewhere else entirely. Zack had disappeared and she was standing alone in a brightly
lit room. It was warm and cheery, but it felt slightly surrealistic. It felt fuzzy. The walls were painted a
pale yellow, which seemed to radiate like sunshine. In the center of the room was a crib made of
varnished oak.
Susan approached it and stared down into the familiar eyes of a small infant. A strange vertigo overcame
her as she realized that the boy was Zack. She closed her eyes to combat the sudden dizziness that came
over her as she figured out the identity of the baby.
When she reopened her eyes, the view of her world had changed drastically. Staring at the ceiling past the
sheer wooden walls of the crib bars, Susan was shocked to find her perspective was now that of Zack's.
In a way that made sense. The baby was Zack, she could just feel him on the edge of her telepathic sense.
It was sort of a warm fuzzy sensation, more of an emotion really. If she had to label it, she would say it
was contentment. Contented like only a baby could be, she imagined. It was only logical that when she
was sharing Zack's memories, which is what this situation must be, she would see it through his
perspective.
Footsteps approached the crib and a woman's upper body appeared in her view. Susan recoiled in shock.
The woman looked remarkably like her; or rather, she resembled the woman a great deal since this was
most likely Katya, their mother.
The woman leaned into the crib and picked Zack up and carried him over to a rocker that had sat
unnoticed in the corner of the room. Seating herself in the chair she began to rock and hum softly. Within
her mind Susan could sense the woman's presence. It reminded her very much of what it used to feel like
with her own mother, Sophie.
With that thought, the room faded to gray and then black. Shortly, color reemerged. But Susan found
herself in a different room with Zack standing next to her. This time she was staring at a younger version
of herself.
[Susan? Where are we? What is going on?] She was glad to see Zack finally aware of something, but
before she could answer the dizziness came over her again. Soon both of them were experiencing life
through the eyes of a three year old Susan Ivanova as she held a doll party with her mother.
"What's happening now? Why are they unconscious?"
Lyta mulled over Stephen's question, working out in her mind how best to explain based on what she
knew from Psi-Corps files and the mental vibes she was getting from Zack and Susan.
"They're rebooting. It is the final step in the linking process. They will relive together the other's
memories, and when that is done, they'll wake linked together forever.
Personal Log: Susan Ivanova, July 18, 2261.
It's been a hell of a week, a lot has happened. Zack and I are now linked together, dependent upon the
others existence, 24-7.
That first night was the strangest, and the most difficult. We'd both just had a load dumped on us, and
having to sleep in the same bed did not help one bit. But since then, we've . . . adjusted. It's getting to the
pint where I am comfortable around him, and I've even grown kind of found of him in a sisterly way. It's
odd.
But not the oddest thing going around here on Babylon 5. Zack scanned Garibaldi. Boy, was everyone
steamed when they heard that. Scanning someone without permission is a major telepath no-no. The only
thing that saved Zack from being thrown in the brig by Sheridan was what he found out.
Garibaldi had been altered. Lyta confirmed it, and we've been holding staff meetings almost nonstop to try
and find a solution. She thinks that together her, Zack, and I can undo. . . .
-Burda Bleep-
Susan cut off her log entry as the door chime sounded. "Who is it?"
"Marcus."
"Enter."
Marcus strode into the room and stopped. After the door had closed behind him, he moved in closer to
Susan and prepared himself for an eruption of some sort.
"I love you Susan, and I know you love me too. Yes, Zack told me; and yes, you have every right to be
mad at him for betraying your confidence. But you can get your revenge later. Right now, we have things
to do."
The incredulous stare Ivanova threw his way was priceless. "Things to do? And what would those things
be, Cole?"
Marcus moved in on her, dangerously invading her personal space. Taking her face into his hands, he
soundly kissed her. "That kind of thing."
They were eating pizza together, sort of a tradition they'd established, when it happened. At first Lyta
couldn't figure out what was wrong with Zack. All of a sudden he was moaning and clutching his head.
Then she sensed it, a wave of intense arousal. It wasn't originating with him, but it was being channeled
through him. And intensified, and redirected at her.
"Zack?"
He locked eyes with her, and that's when she knew. He loved her, and she loved him. And the ground
shifted, or at least the bed did.
"Well, back so soon Mr. Bester?"
Staring at his son, in the middle of Babylon 5's Docking Bay, Bester couldn't help but smile smugly.
"Seemed like forever." #Indeed, it did. Thankfully you and Susan finally got your acts together. Although,
her choice of a normal was rather distressing. But you and Lyta? Now that's one pairing I was rooting
for.#
"And to what do we owe the honor of this visit?"
#Like I would tell you what my plans are!# "Nothing. My business isn't with you or the command staff.
I'm here strictly as a representative of the Psi-Corps." #And for myself of course.#
"Doing what?"
#Reconnaissance.# "Personnel matters that are none of your concern. I'm not taking anyone with me or
causing you the slightest difficulty. As hard as it might be for you to grasp this, I do have a life that doesn't
involve Babylon 5, Sheridan, Ivanova, or anyone else on the command staff. I can promise you. I. Won't.
Go. Near. Them." #Yet, and when I do, it will be what you least expect.#
Personal Log: Bester, Al. August 3, 2261.
Mr. Garibaldi is in Medlab. Apparently, my son discovered that he'd had an alternate personality
implanted in his mind. This is a most unfortunate development, and quite unforeseen. I'm afraid it will
have serious repercussions for my plans later down the road.
My trip here was not a total waste though. I found out that Susan and Lyta are both expecting. I'm looking
forward to meeting my grandkids.
The End.