A Place to Call Home
By Terri Osborne
terri@terriosborne.com
Part 14
All Babylon 5 characters and settings belong to JMS, Warner Brothers, TNT and anyone else with legitimate legal claim. No infringement of copyright is intended by this work. Only a few select characters are mine, and should the Great Maker need them, or anyone similar to them, I can probably be bought off with a story credit. ;-)
Even though this covers the same time period and the same major event, no infringement upon J. Gregory Keyes' novels is intended. Though, I will draw upon them for some background information.
Content Warning: [AC] [AL]
Anything encased in * these * is telepathic speech.
A note from the author: This story centers around three characters, Susan Ivanova, Alina Minette (yes, she's baaaack) and, to a certain extent, Lyta Alexander. To the I&M'ers out there, stay tuned, my friends. For the spoiler-allergic, provided you haven't read it already, I would recommend waiting to read Only Those Whose Lives Are Brief. In an intentional Babylon Squared/WWE homage, the flipside of at least one scene in Brief will show up here.
Since I'm not sure of everyone's schedules, I'll include this potential spoiler warning: I'm a continuity junkie, so this includes events through Season 5, as well as things that were revealed in the closing credits of Sleeping in Light. (If you've seen it, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. If not, that's okay, it's not quite that obvious.) Background information on the Psi Corps comes from the Keyes novels. Set in the same potential future as Only Those Whose Lives Are Brief. Considering that this covers the time frame of late 2263 - early 2265, I suppose everything is a potential spoiler (though, it would be one INCREDIBLY lucky guess).
And thanks to Sarah, Sharon and Keith, my eagle-eyed beta readers! Virtual boxes of Godivas to all of you!
----------
April 2, 2264
The voices of twenty-one
men and women greeted Alina as she stepped into the packed meeting room. Their collective
curiosity was palpable as she crossed the threshold. Why were they there? What did they
have in common? The lone familiar voice in the din was doing his best to answer their
questions without revealing too much, but most of the answers she heard falling from
Andrew Keene's lips consisted of statements that Alina would explain everything when she
arrived.
The realization that she was
finally there calmed the room to some extent. Andrew turned away from speaking with a
slender, dark-haired woman with a cafe au lait complexion named Elizabeth Graves. Her file
had said that she was a high P11, not a violent person, but still capable of causing quite
a bit of trouble whenever she wanted. She was just the kind of person Alina needed for
this project.
Alina's spirit warmed at the
smile that spread across his features as he crossed the room. "They're ready whenever
you are," he said.
She stared at the faces that
surrounded her, their presence the fruit of hours of painstaking research. If she included
herself and Andrew, she had twenty-two people for this project, all high-level telepaths
or telekinetics. She hadn't planned for there to be an even split between men and
women, or an even split between telepaths and telekinetics, counting herself as a
telekinetic, but that was what the criteria used for the Minbari experiment had yielded.
When she considered that
twenty-two had always been her lucky number, she could not help but appreciate the irony.
"Ladies and
gentlemen," she called. "If you could please get comfortable, we'll begin."
A few of the women lowered
themselves to the floor, the others finding the scant few chairs that had been scraped
together for this meeting. The men either remained standing or slid onto the few crates
that had been scattered about the area. When all were settled, Alina stepped forward.
"First, I would like to
thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being here this evening. I know you all have
questions about what's going on. I apologize for the level of secrecy that was involved in
gathering you all here, but please believe me when I say that the secrecy was and will
remain necessary. I have called you all together for a project that is so sensitive that
it must remain a secret even from your own families. We simply cannot allow the knowledge
that will be gained here to reach the Corps, and I am willing to take any and all measures
necessary to ensure that it does not."
She paused, allowing her words
to register with her audience.
"If anyone here has
difficulty working within this scenario, I recommend you leave the room now before any
sensitive information is given out. I assure you that you will suffer no consequences
should you decide to leave."
When no one moved to go, Alina
smiled and nodded. "Good. Now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to get down to
business. I know you all are curious as to why you are here, what you all have in common.
You were all chosen for your superior ratings and past history of non-violent behavior,
which is integral to this movement, as well as this project. Our intent is to heal, not
hurt."
With measured steps, Alina
began to walk around the room. She took in the faces that had been nothing more than
photographs in a file before that moment. A hand on a shoulder here, a pat on the back
there, and their confidence rose. Curiosity ebbed away. She could sense the faith they had
in her, in the movement, and especially in a project they knew nothing about.
If she lived a millennium, she
would never understand the human race's capacity for blind faith and self-delusion.
"Not only will we
heal," she continued, "but our intent is to possibly even cheat death itself.
Over the next few months, I will train each of you individually as well as in teams. I
will tell you all right now that the training will be personalized. Some of the things I
will teach you will be the same, some will not, but be certain that what I will teach you
is absolutely necessary for this project to succeed."
"Alina?" Andrew
asked.
"Yes?"
He stepped forward, head bowed
in thought. "Well, I was thinking that we can't exactly run around calling this 'the
project'. It needs a name."
She arched a dark eyebrow.
"And your idea would be?"
"The information that
Delenn sent said that they tried their version of this in a circular facility, with the
telepaths and telekinetics standing in a circle around the person they were trying to
heal. Sounds like as good a name as any other."
Alina shook her head slowly,
smiling all the while. It was precisely the name she had intended to use. "It's
perfect," she replied. Turning back to the rest of the group, she continued.
"The Circle it is. Consider it a code name, if you wish. Once you are all trained, it
will be possible to call the Circle together within minutes. Should the call go out, we
will assemble here."
A small blonde woman raised a
hand. Alina recognized her as the mother of the little girl she had rescued from a cave-in
not a month before. "Yes, Stefanie?"
"Are we going to be
trained as healers?" she asked.
Alina stepped over toward
where Stefanie sat, looking down at her curious turquoise eyes. They were amazingly
similar to Kelly's eyes. There was no mistaking that this woman was the little girl's
mother. "To a certain extent," she replied. "You will all be trained in
specific areas of the body. The telekinetics here will become the healers. It is the
telepaths who will have the most difficult part of the Circle, however."
Standing, she addressed her
comments to the assembly. "The telepaths in the room will be dealing primarily with
the seriously injured patients, keeping their spirits up and helping alleviate their pain.
Stopping pain telekinetically takes far more energy than is practical. This is why you
will be working in teams. A telepath to help the patient handle the pain, a telekinetic to
heal the injury. The telepaths, however, will also be trained to assist critically injured
patients, people on the verge of death."
A small groan emanated from
the back of the group.
"You're worried
about deathbed scans, I understand. Rest assured that only if the full Circle is ever
called together will there be any deathbed scans performed. Although, if any of you have
experience with them that I am not aware of, it will be beneficial. Ladies and gentlemen,
what I am talking about is the people in this room facing a challenge so great that the
Psi Corps has never even attempted it. The Minbari, however, have, and they have been kind
enough to share the results of that experience with us."
This brought a murmur of
renewed curiosity from her audience.
"I said that this would
be an attempt to cheat death itself. A functioning Circle, able to heal even the most
critically injured patient, is the ultimate goal of our project. Any deathbed scan will be
done with the rest of the group. No one will bear that burden alone, I promise you.
Ideally, your collective abilities will be used to keep the person's consciousness
from leaving the body. In some instances, however, we might not be so fortunate, and we
may have to try putting it back in."
A laugh came from the back of
the room. "You're talking about putting the ghost back into a dead body?"
"Yes, Mister
Thompson," she flatly replied. "Metaphorically speaking, that's precisely
what I'm talking about. I'll be instructing the telepaths individually on this
subject as we go along. Keep in mind, only the telepaths will be instructed on this
topic. This is the knowledge that must be kept absolutely secret. If you are wondering
why, simply imagine what kind of damage Psi Corps could, and no doubt would, do with the
knowledge of how to manipulate a human being's life energies."
A frightened silence filled
the room. Alina surveyed her new students, praying to gods both Minbari and human that she
had chosen the right people. One minor argument, and the same knowledge they were trying
so desperately to protect could turn on them. In an effort to quell the rising anxiety,
she opted for giving them a bit of comforting news.
"In an attempt to
minimize the danger, we have made a deal with Edgars-Garibaldi Industries that will keep
the telekinetics comfortably away from the fighting. You will be working with Mister
Garibaldi on an investigation into some projects that were, shall we say, remnants of the
corporation's previous owner. As for the telepaths, you will remain here in the base.
Your responsibilities will be primarily defensive. Andrew will be assisting the telepaths
in defensive strategy. You will not be involved in the fighting unless it knocks on our
front door. I realize that this is quite a bit of information to digest all at once, so
does anyone have any questions?"
There were murmurs of
disbelief throughout the room. Alina sensed that they were not quite certain they were
worthy of such a project. Yet they still wanted to believe themselves to be the right
people, in the right place, at the right time.
She wanted to believe it just
as much.
When no questions came, she
dismissed the meeting, cautioning her small group not to discuss the matter with anyone
else. Still, they departed talking amongst themselves.
"They idolize you and
Lyta, you know," Andrew stated.
With a snort of derision, she
replied, "Blind faith. That's a bad thing. Just because we're leading this
thing doesn't mean we're completely infallible."
"Well, Thompson did
think you were a little nuts with the ghost idea."
"I'm
beginning to think I'm a little mad with that idea, Andrew. The only saving grace is
that Lyta got Mister Garibaldi to go along with it. Do you think the telepaths are strong
enough to hold up the bloodhound watch?"
He nodded. "You forget,
I've seen Bester's people at work. They can get so wrapped up in their hunting,
they trip up and do things even a low-level teep could work with."
"More blind faith,"
she observed. "They think they're above the law, so they won't be
punished."
Andrew nodded as he handed her
a stack of files. "That's Bester in a nutshell."
A thought nagged at the back
of her mind as she slowly followed him back into the tunnels. "One of these days
you'll have to show me a photograph of him, Andrew. Something seems quite familiar
about him."
----------
April 4, 2264
Susan surveyed the tunnels
that surrounded her, the coppery dust barely disturbed in the three days since she'd
last been here. Yes, this was the place. She was certain of it. Even her telepathic sense
told her she was far enough away from the main tunnel. When she was certain that she was
alone, she flipped the switch on the recorder. Slipping a data crystal into the slot, she
lowered her voice to a near-whisper.
"Major Ryan, it's
Captain Ivanova. I'm in the headquarters of the resistance. Sir, I have an idea to
bring this thing to a close peacefully, but it's going to take some time. Your help
would be beneficial. I know I'm here unofficially, and I told Lyta privately that
I've resigned, but I need that to be public record. I can't explain it right
now, but it's important to this plan. Please, trust me on this. As soon as I can
explain the whole thing, I will. Ivanova out."
[End Part 14]