I just want to thank everyone for their comments on this story - I'm glad you're enjoying it - I'm certainly enjoying writing it J
I really wish I could put in something about that dress but it just wouldn't fit in with what I wanted to do, so sorry about that. On with the chapter:-
PART 9
"Marcus wake up." Pause. "Marcus!"
The Ranger awoke with a start and stared up into the face of Franklin. It took him a couple of seconds to recognise his surroundings and then he frowned. "What's the matter, Stephen?" he asked in concern as he immediately stood up and went over to Duncan's bed. "Is he alright?"
"Yes, he's stable," Franklin assured him. "I just woke you to let you know that Delenn will be back on station in an hour and John wants you to be there to meet her transport."
The sense of duty was so deeply instilled in Marcus, that he knew he couldn't not go however much he wanted to stay with his friend. "You'll let me know if anything happens?"
"Of course," the doctor replied.
"Thank you."
"I've put a clean shirt out for you in my quarters and you can freshen up there as well," Franklin offered with a smile.
"Thank you again, Stephen," Marcus responded with a smile in return. He turned to go, then looked back. "You haven't seen Susan have you? She said she'd be back."
Franklin shook his head. "No, I haven't seen her since last night."
Marcus shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, she must have slept all night then," he surmised with a tinge of disappointment. "I'd better give her a call from your quarters." He then gave Duncan one last look and hurriedly left the room.
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Garibaldi strode towards Zack Allen's office and went straight in without knocking. "Has Jackson or Hobbs managed to find them yet?" he asked without preamble.
Zack shook his head. "They've reported no sightings since late last night when Hobbs lost them in Down Below. He said it looked like one of them was drunk because they were virtually walking him through the Zocalo."
"Dammit!" the ex security chief exclaimed angrily. "I tell you, something big is going to happen, I can feel it and it's frustrating the hell out of me trying to figure out what it is. It's all here right in front of us."
Zack wearily rubbed his eyes and let out a sigh. "If only we could find out who the woman is. Maybe that'd give us some idea of what they're doing on station." His link beeped and the security chief gave it a tap. "Allen here, what's up?"
"Jackson reporting in, sir," came a voice.
"Any news?" Zack enquired in anticipation.
"Yeah, we've located Carrington at a café in the Zocalo, but we can't find the woman or King anywhere."
Zack frowned. "They've got to be around the area somewhere. Have you heard from Hobbs?"
"Yes, he hasn't see them either. It's like they've just disappeared off of the station or something."
Zack sighed. "Stay put, I'm coming down there. Don't lose sight of Carrington OK?"
At Jackson's affirmative, Zack ended the conversation and looked at Garibaldi. "You coming?"
"Yeah, if they've split up then whatever's happening, is happening today and I want to be there," he told his friend grimly.
They went to leave then Zack suddenly turned and grabbed a link off of his desk. "This is for the Commander. Her comm unit's off so I'll drop it off at her quarters later."
"You've seen her?" asked Garibaldi as they resumed walking out of Zack's office.
"Yeah, she came by yesterday." He glanced at his friend's impassive face then added. "She asked about you." Garibaldi remained silent and Zack sighed. "Chief, you should go see her…and him."
"I will," Michael replied. "Just as soon as we've found out what the hell's going on with Carrington and his friends."
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Having freshened up and changed his shirt, Marcus used the Babcom to contact Ivanova's room, but couldn't get through. After two more futile attempts, Marcus checked the time and decided to go to her room instead as he knew that she wanted to meet Delenn's ship too.
'She'll kill me if I let her sleep through Delenn's arrival,' he thought to himself and smiled. 'I know she can't wait to see the dressing down I'm going to get when Ranger One sees I'm back with the living. I'd hate to be the one who deprives her of a good laugh.'
He checked the time again and quickened his pace. He only had twenty minutes.
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Adam hurried along the corridor and stopped outside Ivanova's quarters. He pressed the chime and after a couple of seconds the door opened to reveal Jess, still in Ivanova's likeness, standing before him, dressed in and Earthforce uniform.
"What do you think?" she asked and turned around for him to get the full effect. "Will I pass?" Jess lifted her arms and wrapped them around Adam's neck, moving closer to him until their bodies touched. "Do you like the new me?" she asked with a smile.
Adam reached up and tried to pull her arms away as he glanced furtively up and down the empty corridor. "Stop it," he hissed angrily at her. "What if someone walks by who knows Ivanova? It could blow the whole job."
"Kiss me and I'll let you in," she replied with a laugh, then pulled his head down and pushed her lips roughly against his.
From around the corner another figure appeared and stopped dead in his tracks with a sharp intake of breath. Marcus couldn't believe what he was seeing. He shut his eyes and opened them again but the couple was still there. Kissing. He watched as the blond haired man he recognised from their brief meeting with Jess the night before, broke away from Ivanova and she all but dragged him into her quarters with a low throaty laugh.
The Ranger leaned weakly against the corridor wall for a few seconds as the shock washed over him. He no longer wondered why Susan hadn't come back to MedLab. She was obviously waiting for her lover.
At that realisation, he straightened up and, ever so slowly, turned around and walked away.
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Inside Ivanova's room, Adam pulled himself out of Jess' grasp and all but shoved her away from him in disgust. "I won't do this anymore, Jess," he told her angrily. "I'll help you finish the job but then that's it. We go our separate ways. I can't even stand to be in the same room as you."
"You're so pathetic, Adam," she replied scathingly. "Do you really think I'd let you go just like that?" She laughed and pulled her PPG from it's holster, pointing it at him. "You've served your purpose, although I've had better. I don't need you or Carrington now I've got the changeling net. Escape's easy when you can be whomever you want."
Adam eyes widened in shock and pain as the laser bolt hit him square in the chest at nigh on point blank range. He let out a cry of agony and was dead before he even hit the ground.
Jess walked across the room and stepped over her ex-lover's body heading towards the kitchen area of the suite. She picked up a half drunk cup of caf from the worktop and drained it in one go. After straightening her uniform and patting back her hair, she then stepped back over Adam and walked calmly out of the room to carry out her mission.
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Garibaldi and Zack entered the Zocalo and were met almost immediately by Theo Jackson, the guard who had checked in with them earlier.
"He's sitting right over there," said Jackson and pointed to a café a little way down from them.
The two men saw Carrington sitting with his back to them, a cup of something on the table in front of him.
"I think it's time I had a little chat with that man," Garibaldi told them darkly, then turned to Zack and added, "You want to sit in?"
Just as Zack was about to reply when his comlink beeped. "Allen."
"Zack, Delenn will be docking in bay 16 in about ten minutes," came Sheridan's voice over the tiny communicator. "You know I like to have your presence there whenever she comes back on station."
"I…uh…," he looked up at his friend apologetically and Garibaldi nodded to let him know it was alright. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Sir."
The link terminated, Zack looked back at Garibaldi. "Looks like I've got to go, sorry."
"Don't worry, I've been there," Michael replied with a small smile. He gestured towards Carrington. "I'll let you know what I find out, OK?"
Zack nodded. "Take Jackson over with you. Carrington might not be so resistant if there's the two of you."
Once Garibaldi had agreed to his idea, Zack headed off towards the docking bay area. Michael turned to Jackson and gave him a nod. "OK, you let me do all the talking and if he gets violent…shoot him. Understood?" Jackson looked shocked at his suggestion but nodded. "Good. Let's go."
END CHAPTER 9