"You don't seem surprised to see me?" Joe asks, confused and trying not to let it show.
"No." Kage sighs. "I figured someone would come to Babylon 5 eventually. Everyone does it seems."
"Shall we talk inside?" Lochley says suddenly feeling out of place. Kage hasn't taken his eyes off Joe since he had stepped out of his 'quarters.' Something connects them, something dangerous. Something that intrigues Joe enough that he doesn't seem aware of how much danger he is in.
"I don't see the point in dragging this out," Kage responds but doesn't take his eyes off Joe. He steps to the side and holds out one hand in the direction of an abandoned corridor. Suddenly Joe doesn't care who this man is or what he knows about him. He did not want to follow him down that hall.
Instead however, he tilts his head in ascent and says, "After you."
It all seemed familiar, this dance, but he didn't know where it would lead and that makes him very nervous.
Kage raises an eyebrow in query as both Joe and Elizabeth move to follow him.
"There is to be no audience. You know this," Kage says with a hint of disapproval.
"My station," Lochley says shortly. Kage looks at Joe who shrugs. Kage says nothing and continues on.
All three move silently down the hallway until it widens three times in size. The pipes that had so far been brushing Joe's head move upward suddenly giving the area a cavernous feel. Kage moves to the farthest end of the 'room' and turns to face Joe, "Before we begin, can I at least have your name?"
"You don't know it?" Joe asks in surprise.
"I didn't use to care to know the names, but I guess I'm getting sentimental now that the end is near."
End of what? He seemed to know me, but now he wants my name? What the hell is going on? Joe decides to play along, "I'm called Joe Dawson."
"Pleased to meet you Joe," is all Kage says then reaches behind him and pulls out a blade. Joe is stunned, but a part of his brain can't help but wonder calmly, 'Where did that come from?', as he steps back with his hands raised.
"I just wanted to talk," Joe says quickly, "Nothing else. I don't want trouble."
Kage stalks forward and begins to circle Joe, his face expressionless. "None of us want trouble. But the Game must end," Kage replies cryptically.
"Game? What game?"
That gets a response. For a moment Kage stops. Behind him, Joe can hear Lochley speaking into her COMM and he wonders how far security is from where they are. He didn't see any on the way down. Could he stall Kage that long?
"The Game!" Kage roars and any hopes of stalling were dashed by a headlong charge.
Lindsey worries at her lip, feeling guilty. She had changed out of her Ranger uniform as she is officially off duty, but unofficially she is to keep an eye on Joe Dawson. And that means watching him when he isn't aware she was around.
Oh, it's spying, she says to herself angrily. Just admit it!
She peers over her paper, feeling foolish and obvious. Spies always hide behind newspapers. Real original, Sinclair.
Being a Ranger did require a certain amount of stealth work, and she had on plenty of occasions followed others in a similar fashion, but for some reason doing it to Joe bothered her. He wasn't an enemy as far as she knew. Spying on an ally just didn't feel right. She tries hard to again convince herself she is here for his own protection, but it was a losing battle.
She sighs as she watches Joe and Captain Lochley as the waiter brings over their desert. He stomach growls and she frowns. "Just great."
After Joe had left for his date, Marcus had subtly suggested she follow by simply handing her a cloth wrapped package and pointing towards the door. She had wanted to kick him. She had been looking forward to some time alone because her headache had come back with a vengeance and as her stomach now testified to, she hadn't eaten all day.
This is ridiculous. He's with the captain of the station! Just what did Marcus think was going to... wait. Who is that?
She watches as an older man slows as he passes the Open Air Restaurant with his eyes clearly on Joe, and Joe looking back. After a few moments, the man moves on with Joe and Captain Lochley following.
Damn it. I hate it when Marcus is right. Lindsey gets up to follow.
As soon as the unknown man had gotten on the lift, Lindsey knew he was heading for Down Below. She had only been on the station once before but she knew as well as anyone that if you wanted to avoid someone you went there.
Stepping onto another lift further down the section then where Captain Lochley and Joe wait for another, she contacts Marcus.
"Are you happy?" she says simply.
"Where are they going?" He asks, his voice coming through the COMM clearly.
"Down Below."
"And where are you?"
She replies a bit testily, "I'm heading Down Below."
She can't see him but she knows he is smiling. "Just checking..." he says with patronizing amusement.
Lindsey sighs but doesn't rise to the bait. Instead, she makes a calculated guess. "You'll have to talk to security, so I suggest you get dressed."
She is rewarded with his startled protest and Susan's deep chuckle from farther off in the room.
"What? I...I... dammit."
"I thought so." Lindsey says with satisfaction and cuts off the connection before he can reply.
Down Below is not her favorite place. The last time Lindsey had been here, a few thugs decided to get their revenge on her for sharing the same last name as the first commander of the station. The fact that what her uncle had done was keep them from smuggling illegal weapons onto the station to sell didn't seem to matter to them. Marcus had been the one to save her that day, but today she knew she was on her own, and supposed to be the one doing the saving. If I am allowed, she thinks to herself sadly.
She navigates the corridors quickly, trying to find a good vantage point for spotting Joe and Captain Lochley when they arrive. The best she can do is keep behind a small crowd that have gathered around for an impromptu singing contest between a pair of pok'mor'a and a Narn missionary. Great for keeping out of sight, but because of the noise she can't hear what either Joe or Lochley are saying after they come out from Jayce's booth and move down the hall to where the man from Open Air is, or what the three of them are saying to each other after he steps out to confront them.
Just as she is about to move, the trio turn and walk back towards her for a few meters, then turn down another corridor. While giving them time to move ahead enough to not realize she is behind them, she notices that no one else seems to be using that particular corridor. Suddenly feeling as if she should hurry, she leaves her place of hiding and follows.
It isn't long before she can hear their voices being carried down the hall. At first they are quiet, civilized, but she can hear an unfamiliar voice becoming agitated, as if he is working himself up for something and Joe's voice trying to calm things down again. Then an unholy roar stops her breath.
"The Game!"
No. Not yet. He isn't ready!
"Oh hell." She starts running as she works at the cloth wrapped around the object Marcus had given her only hours before. Too busy trying to undo the knot, Lindsey nearly slams into Captain Lochley who is yelling frantically into her COMM.
"Get me security, now!" she hollers, ignoring Lindsey who runs past and then stops just behind Kage who is rushing Joe. He brings his sword down and pulls back as if to thrust it into Joe's stomach, but Joe dodges sideways at the last moment.
Eyes wide with fear, he yells, "Lindsey! What the hell is going on?"
Her only response is to throw the metal object at him. He catches it in one hand and looks up at her incredulous. A hilt? A sword hilt?
"Hold it away from you. Push the button," she hollers as his opponent starts to move in for another attack. He does as he is told and with a snap that nearly pulls the sword hilt from his hand, it extends to its full length, the metal of the blade flawless.
Lindsey, doing all that she knows she is allowed, reluctantly steps back to Lochley's side.
"What is going on?" Elizabeth hisses fiercely, grabbing Lindsey's arm.
Instead of answering, Lindsey asks, "How long till security can get here?"
"I don't know."
The two women turn back to the medieval scene playing out before them.
"Hope they hurry," Lindsey says quietly.
The sword hilt springs into life as a full-length sword, surprising Joe with its weight. Despite its former compact state, it feels heavy in his hand. Real. He holds it up and traces the blade with his eyes, as if reading a story. The thousands of questions he had are silenced, moving aside for one clear thought: 'I know what to do.' In his head he begins to laugh; not at the absurdity of being on a space station holding a sword that just a moment ago wasn't there, but at the familiarity of the situation. He knows this. He knows what to do, what he has to do, and it is ludicrous. Insane even.
Seeing that Joe is now armed Kage steps back but keeps his sword up, waiting.
Without knowing how, Joe sizes him up, looking for strengths and weaknesses. He measures the room as well. The ceiling, which seemed vaulted compared to the other hallways, was low when considering the swing of what he now held in his hands. The walls around them were only 8 feet, maybe 9 feet wide. Not a lot of room to maneuver. Without turning to face them, he knows that Lindsey and Elizabeth are still there, watching, and suddenly he wishes they weren't. It feels… wrong.
Joe mirrors Kage and his stance. Sword held up, right foot forward. The two men slowly begin to circle each other keeping the points of their swords held up at the ready.
"You seem to know The Game now, boy," Kage says slowly, almost as an accusation.
"Not really," Joe replies quietly, still circling.
"We'll see," he says, then lunges forward, thrusting his sword at Joe's throat. Joe deflects the move, pushing Kage's sword down and to the left, then slides his own across Kage's chest. The older man backs away with a hiss, raising his sword against further attack, but Joe only steps back into his previous stance.
They begin circling once again.
"What was your name again?" Kage asks.
Joe sees no reason to deny him an answer, "Joe Dawson."
"How come I have never heard of you?"
Joe shrugs slightly but doesn't answer. In a way, Kage's confusion is comforting to him. More so than his new found knowledge of swordplay. At least he wasn't the only one that didn't know what was going on. In a way, that bound him to Kage. He was going to feel bad about killing him.
Kage continues to question in a conversational tone, "So, just how old are you?"
"I don't know." Joe replies honestly. Kage's eyebrows raise in surprise at the answer, but he makes no comment. Instead, he lunges again, this time aiming for Joe's stomach. Joe sidesteps the advance, deflecting the blow while moving close to Kage, and punches him in the throat with his free hand. The older man staggers back, but comes at Joe again with a growl, this time pushing Joe's sword aside, then throwing his full body weight into him with his shoulder. Joe slams backward into the wall, smacking his head hard, dimming his vision for a moment. Kage sees his chance and begins a death blow, but Joe scrambles out of the way at the last moment. As he does, he uses the point of his sword to slice at Kage's knee.
Kage howls in pain and falls clumsily to one knee. With a calm that surprises him, Joe turns and from Kage's side, brings down his sword onto his neck. He hears Elizabeth holler "Joe, no!" but too late to pull back and he intones automatically, "There can be only one."
Kage's body slumps forward and Joe steps back, stunned, the calm that had filled him now gone. 'Oh god. What am I?'
In the silence he hears the two women moving, but doesn't turn. Through the fog in his mind, he feels something odd... a tingling. He looks down, and is shocked to see wisps of electricity dancing along the body. The movement behind him stops and he turns. Lindsey has her hand on Elizabeth's arm and is pulling her back. He sees her talking, but a buzzing fills his ears and he can't make out what she is saying. Elizabeth looks from the body up to him and Joe sees it, written plainly: Horror. Disgust. At the same time as his heart breaks just a little, all hell breaks loose.
"Captain," Lindsey says urgently, "stay back!"
Lochely halts more from shock then the urging of the Ranger and stares at Joe in disbelief. Just as she is about to pull away from Lindsey, a bolt of lightning lances up from the floor and hits Joe in the chest . Both women jump in surprise, and finally Lindsey is successful in pulling the commander of Babylon 5 back to the scant coverage of the hall opening. They huddle together and Lindsey tries to cover Lochley with her body. Joe screams and she turns towards him, curiosity winning out over the need to protect herself.
His body is tense, arms thrown wide. His face is a twisted mask of pain as bolt after bolt strikes his body. A detached part of her is fascinated, watching as small licks of electricity crawl away from Kage's body and come together to strike at Joe. Instinct keeps her huddled away from the spectacle, but in the back of her mind, she recalls Kierna's words.
"After a Quickening starts, the chances of it harming you are practically none. Once it has it's mark, it unleashes all its power into it."
"It? You mean him?" Lindsey had asked.
"Yes."
"What is it?"
Kierna shrugged, "Power"
Lindsey sat, considering, then asked with a raised brow, "Practically none?"
Kierna smiled a bit, "Well... there was this one instance..."
"What happened?"
"A quickening hit a nurse..."
"And?"
"It's a long story. Don't worry about it. It was a fluke. An anomaly. Don't get too close, but you should be fine."
She notices the strength of the bolts decreasing and Joe has long since stopped screaming, but his body remains painfully tense. Then silence.
She moves back, then stands slowly. Elizabeth does the same. Joe stares blankly at the two women, the slumps to the ground on his knees. Without thinking about it, Lindsey rushes to him.
"Joe? Are you alright?"
He says nothing, just gasps for breath with his eyes closed. She notices the sword laying by his side. She grasps the hilt and depresses the button, shrinking the weapon into a hilt once again.
He opens his eyes, glaring at her. "What am I?"
She winces at the pain and confusion on his face and says quietly, "I'm sorry, Joe."
To her surprise, his mouth twists into a half smile. "You've been saying that to me a lot lately."
"I know. I'm..." she stops, realizing the next word was going to be 'sorry' and sits back on her heels. "Can you stand?" she asks instead.
"What am I?" he repeats, this time with more force.
"Immortal. Just as he was," she motions towards Kage. Joe follows her hand with his eyes.
"He doesn't seem very immortal to me," he replies tiredly. She says nothing. "You knew," he says flatly.
"Yes... I did. But I had no idea..." Lindsey stops. Six members of security move into the corridor. 'About time!' Lindsey thinks to herself, annoyed.
They halt before Lochley, surprise and shock evident on their faces. Lindsey can't hear what Lochley says, but isn't surprised when two of the guard approach her and Joe. What does surprise her are the two that move towards her and haul her into standing position and order her to move, just as the first two do it with Joe.
Lindsey looks up at Lochley, who meets her gaze calmly, "Take them both to security. Hold them there."
"But..." is all Lindsey can say, then she is escorted out of the corridor with Joe being led just behind her.
"Wait," Lochley says, just as they are about to enter the larger hall of Down Below. She moves to the front of the procession and stands in front of Lindsey. Without a word, the Captain reaches down and takes the hilt from Lindsey and hands it to another guard. "Keep this with you."
"What is it?" he asks.
"Evidence," she replies, then walks away.