PART 7

"Shock and exhaustion," announced Franklin after checking over Marcus, who was now sleeping peacefully due to a mild tranquilliser shot. He turned to Ivanova and noting the relief that flooded her face, he smiled and raised an eyebrow enquiringly. "Just what did you do to him, Susan?" he asked dryly.

"Me?!" she exclaimed, trying desperately to control the blush she knew was creeping up her cheeks. "What makes you think I did anything?"

"Well, you were the only one left with him," Franklin pointed out reasonably. "Now, I can blame his exhaustion on the fact that he's just come back from the dead, but the shock had to come from another source."

Susan looked back at the doctor's expectant, grinning face and sorely wanted to break something. She wasn't in the mood for this at the moment as she was still trying to gain some semblance of control over her battered emotions. "Well, it wasn't me," she denied hotly. "We were just……talking."

Franklin picked up on the hesitation but before he could respond, the MedLab doors opened and Sheridan walked in. He glanced at Susan's annoyed face and Franklin's amused one before dropping his concerned gaze to the man laying on the bed. "I heard Marcus had some sort of relapse. Is he going to be OK?"

"He'll be fine," Franklin assured him. "He's just suffering from exhaustion and shock."

"Shock?" repeated Sheridan in surprise. "But what could have brought that on?" Suddenly, he turned to Ivanova and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Alright Susan, what did you do to him?"

Ivanova's mouth dropped open and in her anger she couldn't get any words out.

"Uh, they were just….'talking' John," Franklin supplied with a wink and knowing smile directed at Sheridan.

The President's eyebrows lifted and a wide grin broke out over his face. "Ohhhhhh, 'talking', huh? Must have been quite a….conversation to make him pass out like that."

"Oh, I've had enough of this!" Susan finally burst out furiously. Straightening her uniform, she said haughtily, "I'm going to my quarters to freshen up."

She glanced at Franklin. "You'll let me know when Marcus wakes up won't you?" It was more of an order than a question and the doctor nodded.

Shooting them both a look that used to be reserved for the crew in C and C when they done something very wrong, she turned on her heel and strode quickly out of the room, gritting her teeth as she heard the sound of their laughter follow her out.

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"Ok, what have you got for me?" Garibaldi asked Zack as he walked into the younger man's office.

Zack looked up with a grimace. "Something that you're not going to like, Chief. I've got names for the two men but not the woman." He pressed a button and the monitor displayed a picture of the young man Garibaldi had seen earlier. "This is Adam King. He lost his parents and two elder sister's in the Minbari war and has been drifting from place to place ever since. He doesn't have any convictions against him at all." Zack pushed another button and the picture changed to the balding man. "That's Paul Carrington, present address unknown. Ex Earth Force, he was dishonourably discharged and jailed for…"

"Torturing and killing persons from alien races…notably Minbari," quoted Garibaldi flatly, finishing Zack's sentence for him as the name brought memories flooding back. "I know. I turned him in."

"Sounds like a nice guy," commented Zack, sarcastically.

"Yeah, real stand-up citizen." Garibaldi shook his head in disgust. "I saw pictures of what he did to them. It was nasty. Old, young, some of them were kids for God's sake. He blamed the Earth-Minbari war, but I think he's an out and out psycho. He should have been mind wiped but for some reason they decided to jail him." He paused and looked back to the screen. "How the hell did he get out? He

should have rotted away in a cell somewhere by now."

Zack sighed and pushed a few more buttons. "That's the bit you're not going to like. Says here that he was released and pardoned during our war with Clark. In fact, he was one out of a group of twenty prisoners released at the same time. All ex Earth Force, all convicted of similar crimes and all recruited back in."

"Recruited back in? As what?" demanded Garibaldi.

"Prisoner of war interrogators."

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Jess sauntered through the market in Down Below with Adam beside her and Paul lagging behind bemoaning his misfortune. "I'm telling you he recognised me, Jess."

Uttering an expletive at his whining, the woman spun around and raked a scornful look over the man behind her. "So what?" she snapped. "You've done nothing wrong. They haven't got a thing on you - you've been pardoned."

"This could be trouble," he continued, unhappily. "Michael Garibaldi will be watching everything I do from now on. We'd better abort the..."

"No!" Jess cut him off harshly. "That isn't an option. If Garibaldi gets in the way, we'll deal with him the same way as Ivanova."

She turned to Adam. "Did you get the poison?" He nodded. "Good, then it's all set. We take Ivanova out tonight."

With that, she walked off and left the two men to look nervously at each other before following.

From behind one of the market stalls nearby, Duncan stood up and stared worriedly after them. He straightened the glasses on his nose and bid the trader he had been talking with goodbye. He'd barely walked four steps when his breathing became harsh and laboured. He stopped to try and catch his breath and then was assailed by a bad coughing fit.

Desperately, he tried to calm himself down. He couldn't be ill now - he had to get to Marcus and tell him what he'd overheard. Pain ripped through his body and he reached out to grab a person walking by. "Help me," he gasped. The stranger roughly pushed him away and an ever darkening blackness overtook him as he fell to the floor.

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Susan let herself into her quarters with a sigh of relief. Her temper still hadn't abated, in fact it had been fanned further when she'd realised that she didn't know which room she'd been assigned and had had to go back and ask Sheridan.

His barely concealed laughter at her red faced, stiff-lipped enquiry had almost been too much to bear. She'd get him back eventually she promised herself and it'd be slow and painful.

She picked up her case and unpacked. Moving to the bathroom, she stripped off and had a quick shower, pleased that she'd been allocated one of the better rooms that actually had water. She almost forgave Sheridan as she succumbed to the warm wetness. Almost.

Once she'd finished and had dressed in a pair of black trousers and a deep blue jumper, she made herself a cup of caf and sat down on the couch. Feeling more relaxed than she had in years, Susan placed her cup on the table in front of her and leaned back against the settee, letting her eyes slowly close.

A metallic sounding voice awoke Susan with a start. "Incoming message from Dr. Stephen Franklin." She looked around the room, her eyes blinking rapidly to remove the last vestiges of sleep wondering how long she had lain there. She stood up and stretched.

"Accept message," she said on a yawn.

The doctor's smiling face appeared on screen. "Susan, Marcus is awake now if you want to come down. He's a lot better for that sleep."

"Thanks Stephen, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

Franklin nodded and was preparing to go when Susan stopped him. "Wait Stephen, is he well enough to walk to the Zocalo and get something to eat?"

The doctor considered her question before answering, "Well, if you take it slowly, I don't think there'll be a problem."

"Good. Find him something to wear then could you?"

"Sure, I'll let him know you're on your way. Franklin out."

Ivanova quickly ran a brush through her hair and applied a little make-up before leaving her quarters. On the way she stopped at the security office to get a new link.

"I don't have any spare at the moment Captain," Zack informed her apologetically. "But I'll take your details and let you know when I get one in. It shouldn't take too long."

He placed a small electronic box over her hand and scanned it. "DNA formation acknowledged. Captain Susan Ivanova. Data stored," the computer advised.

"There we are. I'll be in touch Captain." Zack removed the box and sat down. Realising Ivanova was still standing there, he looked back up. "Sorry, was there anything else?"

"Yes actually. I was just wondering if Michael was on station?"

"The Chief? Yeah, sure he is. Do you want me to call him?"

Ivanova shook her head. "No, it's alright. I'll try contacting him tomorrow if I don't see him around tonight."

Frowning slightly, she left the office and carried on her way to MedLab. She was a little upset to find that Michael was aboard and yet hadn't tried to contact her. She thought they'd straightened things out although she knew they'd never be as close friends as they once were.

Reaching MedLab, she determinedly put thoughts of Garibaldi out of her mind and entered unnoticed by Marcus and Franklin who were having a heated discussion. Actually it was Marcus who appeared to be heated, Ivanova noted absently, Franklin just had an air of resigned tolerance about him.

"But Stephen, surely you must have 'something' that's a bit more me?" Marcus was pleading. "These are so…..so constricting!" He gestured to the jeans that fitted him 'slightly' more snugly than he would have liked.

"You look fine."

"I look stupid," muttered the Ranger, unhappily. He fidgeted with the tight waistband of the trousers and grimaced. "And I won't be able to eat a thing."

"Good, because you shouldn't be overloading your stomach at this stage in your recovery anyway."

"I won't be even 'marginally' loading it in these things," came the retort.

"Oh, come on, they're not 'that' bad," sighed Franklin, then he shrugged and added, "Besides, it's either those or your MedLab gown."

"What a choice," Marcus replied sarcastically. "I swear you're still getting me back for Mars, Stephen. I mean, what's Susan going to think when she sees me in these?"

"She's going to think, why don't you wear that sort of thing more often," came an amused voice.

Both men jumped and turned around to see Ivanova leaning against the wall. She pushed herself away and started walking towards them, slowly looking Marcus up and down, a smile curving her lips. Franklin laughed and the Ranger groaned, shifting uncomfortably under her scrutiny.

"Are you ready?" she asked, once she was level with him. Red faced he could only nod in response. "Let's go then." She took his hand and they left MedLab.

Once out in the corridor, Marcus recovered some of his good humour. "I've never had a woman pick me up for a date before," he said with a smile. "I like it. Will you be doing this all the time?"

Susan returned his smile, then made show of looking at his rear. "Keep wearing these jeans and you've got a deal."

Before he could answer, they heard a woman's voice ring out ahead of them. "Susan! Susan!" it chirped. Ivanova groaned and looked for somewhere to hide.

"Who's that?" Marcus wanted to know as a black haired woman approached them, followed by two men.

"Just someone I met on the trip over here. She drove me nuts," Susan told him in a low voice before plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Jess, good to see you again," Ivanova greeted the other woman stiffly.

"And you," Jess replied warmly. Her dark brown eyes drifted to Marcus and gleamed with approval as she unabashedly looked him up and down before holding out her hand to him. "My name's Jess, Mr….?"

"Just Marcus," he replied, shaking her hand briefly. He went to pull away but Jess held on a moment longer than necessary and leaned in to him intimately.

"Pleased to meet you," she practically purred before relinquishing her hold.

Ivanova felt jealousy hit every single nerve in her body. If Jess hadn't let go of Marcus' hand when she did, Susan swore she would have ripped the woman's arm off. As if Marcus sensed what Susan was feeling, he put his arm around her waist and drew her to him, smiling back at the other woman.

He'd been a little taken aback himself at Jess' blatant come on and he saw that not only Susan was annoyed by it. The young man standing behind Jess wore the same dark look as Ivanova. Deciding to diffuse the situation, he replied pleasantly "And you. But I'm afraid we can't stop and talk right now as we have a dinner reservation. Please excuse us."

With a quick nod goodbye, he steered Susan away from the small group and off down the corridor.

Jess watched them until they went around the corner then turned to Adam and Paul. "I'm going to get the changeling net. I'll meet you at Ivanova's quarter's in an hour, that'll give us plenty of time to prepare for her return. Oh, and if Marcus should return with her tonight - I want him alive."

The two men nodded and she walked away.

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Ivanova was still fuming by the time she and Marcus entered the Zocalo. The Ranger listened to Susan cursing Jess with amusement. He knew better than to say anything until she'd calmed down.

They had just decided upon which café to eat in when Sheridan approached them grinning broadly. "Susan," he greeted, then turned to the man by her side. "Marcus good to see you up and about again. How are you feeling?"

"Much better thank you."

"Good, good. Delenn just sent word that she will be back tomorrow morning. I haven't said anything to her about you yet, I thought it'd be better if I told her face to face. I'll call you when she gets in, she'll want to see you."

"I'll still be in MedLab," replied Marcus. "Stephen hasn't discharged me yet, I'm sort of having time off for good behaviour tonight."

"Fine, I'll bring Delenn along sometime tomorrow then," chuckled Sheridan and then bade them both goodbye.

Once the President had departed, they went into the café and sat down at a quiet table. They had just picked up their menu's when a shadow fell over the table causing them to look up and into the worried face of the Security Chief.

"Sorry to disturb you," apologised Zack, "but Dr. Franklin needs you to come to MedLab right away, Marcus."

"What's wrong?" demanded the ranger, standing up.

"It's Duncan, he collapsed in Down Below."

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"Is he going to be alright, Stephen?" Marcus asked, worriedly taking in the old man's pallor and laboured breathing.

Ignoring his question, the doctor moved the Ranger away from the bed and yelled out for an assistant to come over. Franklin ran a scanner over the prone figure on the bed and quickly read the results.

"Will he be alright?" Marcus repeated, putting a hand on the doctor's arm for attention.

Franklin sighed heavily. The readings weren't good. "I'm sorry, Marcus," he said, sombrely. "I'll try to make him as comfortable as possible."

"What?" the other man choked out. "Are you telling me he's dying? But he can't be. What's the matter with him?"

"He has pulmonary fibrosis." At the Ranger's puzzled look, Franklin elaborated, "Lung disease. My guess is it started when he lived in Down Below a couple of years ago. Even if I'd been able to treat him early on, he still would've had four years at best. It's a progressive disease with no cure." He paused and put a hand on Marcus' shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "There's nothing more I can

do for him."

"No," the Ranger denied. He looked pleadingly at Franklin. "There must be 'something'."

The doctor shook his head sadly and looked away. Getting back to the task in hand, he and his assistant worked methodically on Duncan, administering drugs that would ease the pain and to make breathing a little easier they gave him an oxygen mask.

All the while Marcus just stood and watched. Susan came up and took hold of his hand, squeezing it gently, standing quietly next to him, letting him know she was there.

Eventually, Franklin stood back and gestured for them to come over. "You can sit with him if you like. I don't know if he'll regain consciousness, it's just a matter of time now." He gave them a brief, compassionate smile and walked away.

That had been a little over three hours ago and Duncan's condition hadn't changed. Marcus and Susan sat quietly at his bedside still hand in hand. Marcus turned his head just in time to see Susan stifle another yawn.

"That's that sixth time. You should go back to your quarters and get some rest," he advised softly.

She shook her head. "No, I want to stay here with you."

He smiled tenderly. "Thank you, but I'd rather you got some rest. I'll call you if there's any change. Please," he urged, when he saw her about to protest. He reached out and laid his hand against the side of her face before adding, "For me."

Susan moved her hand up to rest over his and, not wanting to start a row, she nodded. "I'll set the alarm and be back in a couple of hours," she said, standing and leaning over to kiss him gently on the cheek. Then, with a small smile and a final squeeze of his hand she left.

The door to her quarters opened with a swish and she stepped over the threshold. "Lights," she called out wearily.

As the room lightened, she noticed something move and then the breath was knocked out of her as she was suddenly grabbed roughly from behind. Struggling with all her might, she managed to elbow one of her assailants in the stomach and heard him grunt in pain but his hold on her stayed firm.

A flash of fear ran through her as she was pulled to the floor and the faces of Adam and Paul appeared in her line of sight. "What the hell is going on?" she raged, still trying to get free. Paul moved, straddling her and holding her down, while Adam produced a syringe and injected a clear liquid into her left arm. "What was that?" she cried, as a numbness began to overcome her body.

Her struggling ceased and the men stood back allowing Jess, who had waiting for them to finish, to walk over. "Hello Susan," she said taking hold of Ivanova's hands. "Don't fight the poison, it'll only hurt."

Ivanova couldn't speak. Everything around her was becoming blurred, her breathing was harsh in her own ears and she could feel the thud of heart slowing. She knew she was dying and all she could think of was the fact that she'd never have the chance to tell Marcus how she felt.

Conjuring up his face in her mind, she summoned the last of her strength to call out to him mentally using all the limited telepathic power she possessed. Marcus, I love you

Her eyes felt heavy and she tried to focus on Jess, who was laughing nastily. Only it didn't look like Jess anymore Susan realised hazily and the last thing she saw before a peaceful darkness enveloped her was her own face saying, "I'm going to enjoy being you, Susan."

END PART 7