Babylon 5: To Walk the Line Between Darkness and Light

By: Shadow Chaser

Author's Notes:

            Babylon 5 and all characters do not belong to me, they belong to J. Michael Strazynski; I am not making a profit out of this.  I hope you enjoy my offering to the B5 community.  Plot is sort of revealed in this chapter as more mystery is abounded.  Maybe I should change the second genre to Mystery…hmmm…

Chapter 2 – The Hand that Reaches a Thirdspace

They were upon him again, calling out to him, their feeler-like claws reaching out for him, trying to embrace him.  David shrank back as far as he could from the touch of the Shadows, trying to blend himself in with the wall that had mysteriously appeared in his dreams.  He hated the dark creatures, hated them for what they did to his mind.  They twisted him, changed him, and used him for their own purposes all those years ago.

"No…get away from me," he tried to push them away as those glowing eyes of the Shadows turned towards him.

"You will be one of us," they hissed at him and he let out a slight whimper of fear, "come Little One, you will become…"

"Stay away from him, Children," a new voice spoke up and David blinked slightly against the bright light as an alien, a cross, of what he thought was, a Lumati and a Soul Hunter, even though he had never seen a Soul Hunter before, he remembered his parents showing him pictures of them and his Uncle Mike talking about the twice encounter with a Soul Hunter.

"But…Creator," one of the Shadows seemed to be whining which made David start slightly…where was he anyways?  He looked around and saw that he was on a balcony, over looking a deep crater and buildings that looked like mounds.  The dirt or soil, or whatever it was, was a dirty brick red and black things crawled over the place.  A piercing cry that reverberated through his skull and ears made him wince slightly and he looked up to see something that remotely resembled Minbari Fire Crabs flying overhead.

"No, Young Shadow, this one is not to be touched.  You have already touched his father, and your allies have tainted this one.  Leave him be," the Soul Hunter-Lumati whispered in a kind but firm voice.

"The Drakh are not our allies, Creator," the Shadow replied.

"But they fought in your name, yes?  That was one of your greatest mistakes…" the alien replied then waved his hand, "go now.  Return to your slumber.  You are not needed yet."

"Who…" David found that his lips didn't really work properly and cleared his throat, "Who…are…you?"

"The Vorlon question, isn't it David Sheridan?" the alien replied.

"What…do you…want?" he managed to get out.

"Ah," the alien looked slightly pleased if not for his quizzical nature, "the Shadow question.  Well…I suppose it's good as any time to answer your questions.  You know, your father asked me the same thing while he was here.  I am called by your people Lorien, and before you ask where we are; we are at Z'ha'dum, twenty years ago, give or take a few months.  What I want with you, is to show you the past…"

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Talenn sat in his bubble encased controls at the navigation system, watching as the numbers ticked off slowly, each one bringing them closer to Minbar.  He didn't know what emotion to feel as they had just been relayed the message that Entil'zha and former President of the Interstellar Alliance, John Sheridan had died.  It was as if an empty vacant space had just filled him, leaving him alone and vulnerable to the world.  If this was what he was feeling, he didn't know how David felt…it must be torture for him, he thought silently as he tapped a few buttons within the bubble, bringing in more readouts.

"Talenn, how is he?" Rendelli's voice was void of all emotions and Talenn glanced at their captain.  He knew that the captain was referring to David and shrugged.

"I checked over a standard half-hour ago, he was asleep, but…I do not know the full extent of his emotions as I can only feel through them, not sense them like a telepath would," he replied.

"Hmmm…" Rendelli looked thoughtful and Talenn noticed that the other Minbari and Human crews that were on duty were staring at the two of them.  He could tell by their facial expressions that they too were shocked by the news of Sheridan's passing.  He was only Entil'zha for roughly seven years, barely enough time to make a dent in the Anla'shok, but enough for his death to bring at least everything to a screeching halt.

He was only a youngling learning the ways of the Religious caste underneath the tutelage of Rathenn when Sheridan had became President of the Interstellar Alliance and Lady Delenn was the Entil'zha of the Anla'shok.  Right then and there he had wanted to join with the Anla'shok, to become one of them, to fight for the wrongs and rights the Alliance so much stood for.  His parents had died during the Shadow War and his older sister was among the missing after a report came in saying that the White Star she was assigned to had gone missing during the last phase of the Shadow War.

Rathenn had originally forbade him to join the Anla'shok, but seeing his natural gift for sensing the needs of others and the agility with a denn'bok, he had reluctantly agreed and let him join near the end of the Centauri Prime Crisis.  Like so many other young new recruits, he had hero-worshipped the members of the Anla'shok, and was eager to join.

It was then and there, during one of the training sessions, that he had met David Sheridan, who was a frightened teenager, but very skilled in the denn'bok.  He never found out why David was so scared during his first few years as a Ranger Trainee, and he guessed that he would never find out, but somehow, he knew it was connected to the Centauri Prime Crisis in a way…

"Talenn!" Rendelli's voice broke through his thoughts and he snapped back to attention, cursing himself for being so out of it.  "Pay attention, next time and do not let your thoughts wander.  I asked you for the time of approach to Minbar."

Pressing a few buttons, Talenn brought up a diagnostic screen, "Roughly another eight hours, Shok'Na."

"Thank you," Rendelli replied and Talenn closed the screen.  He glanced back to where the door to the other parts of the Junon led to and wondered if David, sleeping in one of its cabins, was even all right.  He was worried for his friend and hoped that by sleeping, David was able to purge the demons that were threatening to consume him.

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David narrowed his eyes shrewdly at the alien named Lorien.  "We…we can't be…at Z'ha'dum," he said, his words coming out easier than before.

"Look, David, look," Lorien gestured with a long hand and suddenly David found himself floating in the air.  He looked down and saw that a person was crawling towards the balcony where he once stood, the person in a black uniform of the Interstellar Alliance.  The person was bleeding freely from many wounds and looked slightly disoriented.

Suddenly there was a scratching sound that was extremely loud, as if someone had turned up the volume down where the figure had turned, staring at a woman with red-blonde hair and a twisted expression on her face.  Following her were two spidery creatures, each clicking their pinchers together.

"John…there is no where to run.  Come back inside; we can work this out…" the woman said in a seductive coyly voice and David started slightly.  He glanced at Lorien who was floating beside him, but the alien merely pointed down towards the two Humans, one of them whom was his father.

"I know this isn't the Anna that you knew, but I am what was made in her...a new personality. She can never come back, but I can love you as well as she did," the twisted Human woman said moving a step forward and David saw his father scramble to the ledge of the balcony and was looking downwards, towards the gaping mile, two mile hole.  A sudden realization gripped his heart and he reached out a hand.

"NO!  Don't!" he tried to move to stop his father, but something was hold him back.

"There is nothing you can do, David, this is all in the past," Lorien's soothing voice washed over him and he stopped fighting the grip.

Suddenly he saw his father staring straight at him…no beyond him and glance up to where his father was looking.  He saw the faint image of a White Star, burning up from the atmospheric conditions, bearing down towards them, afterburners on full.

"Jump.  Jump now," a disembodied voice spoke, reverberating through the area.

He suddenly saw his father take a leap out into the open space, hanging there for a fraction of a second before plunging down.  "NOOO!!" his cry echoed as he closed his eyes, unable to watch.

Suddenly, he landed a bit painfully on his hands and knees and opened his eyes to see that he was in a dark cavern, dimly lit by firelight.  He scrambled from the ground, kicking up some fine dust and looked around.  Now where was he?

"Listen, watch, David.  You need to understand," Lorien spoke quietly next to him, making the hairs on the back of his neck rise up slightly in shock.

"Would you stop that?  Stop creeping up on me," he spun around angry at the alien.

"Are you sure, that it is me you are talking to?  Or are you talking to me," he pointed over David's shoulder and David turned around, only to blink in surprise as he saw his father, sitting, bundled up in a woolen blanket, shivering by a small fire he had created.  Beyond him, he saw Lorien walking up towards his father and turned slightly back, but Lorien wasn't behind him anymore.

His father looked up and a cross between suspicion and relief crossed his face, "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" Lorien replied cryptically and David began to see that his father looked slightly, indiscreetly, transparent for some odd reason.

He watched Lorien sit down and stare at his father with eyes that showed too much knowledge.

"How did I get here?" Sheridan asked.

"You were born," Lorien replied in a simple fashion as if it was something to be taught to a young child.

"Why am I alive?"

"Well, that is the question isn't it?  Do you mind if I share your fire?"

"No," David frowned as his father shook his head, looking the worse for wear when suddenly he found himself looking from another angle, but this time his father was looking around the cave, face set and stubborn.

"It's a dangerous question, isn't it?  There's never a good answer to it.  I suppose that's the point.  Now, what you are, that is a question that I can answer, at least in your case.  You're dead," Lorien's voice was so simple and seemingly innocent that David started to feel a boil of anger rise up within him.  How dare this alien talk to his father as if he was some kind of corporeal spirit, just floating…wait a minute, he frowned again as he stared at his father who was staring at Lorien like he had grown another head.  That would explain the reason Sheridan looked a bit transparent…

"Now that's enough!"

"How long have to been here?"

"I…don't know…a day, maybe two…"

"The sun has risen and set nine times.  You haven't eaten, you ought to be starving.  Are you hungry?  Thirsty?  Does blood still flow through your veins?  Does it?"

"There's no pulse…"

"Because, my reluctant friend, you are quite, quite dead."

Then my father had died already?  Twenty years ago? He thought silently to himself as the images blurred together and he suddenly found himself in a room, decorated with suite-style wallpaper.  He noticed both his mother and father, much younger, while Lorien looked on from a distance, his face betraying no emotions.

"I did the best I could.  I gave him back a portion of his life, but only a portion," Lorien sounded saddened, but then again, David really wasn't good at grasping emotions from the weird alien's voice.

"How long?" the younger version of his mother asked, hushed and afraid.

"In human terms, barring injury and illness…perhaps twenty years.  But no more than that."

"Twenty years?"

"I'll be in my early sixties by then.  It's a good run, Delenn," Sheridan tried to reassure her, but David felt his heart break at watching his father trying to comfort his mother.

"You told me that Humans live to be one hundred years old, even older.  You can't-"

"Twenty years, no more.  And then, one day…he will simply…stop."

Suddenly a dizzy feeling washed over David and he found himself back on board the Junon, in his room.  He felt a bit odd staring at himself sleeping and whirled around to face Lorien who had an impassive expression his face.

"So that's it?  My dad just…stopped?" he asked, not noticing the rise in his voice.

"Yes," Lorien replied then looked to his right and David recoiled as a Vorlon in an encounter suit appeared out of nowhere.  "Kosh Naranek was supporting your father during the brief period between my life force transfers.  He valued your father's courage and love for life and let a piece of his consciousness reside within your father.  That is why he told your father to jump off the balcony at Z'ha'dum.  Kosh knew I was there, waiting…"

"My mother told me that the Vorlons, Shadows, and your kind…which I think you're a First One, aren't you Lorien?"

"The First One, David Sheridan."

"Yeah…you were supposed to leave for beyond the Rim, never to return…so then…how come you're here?"

"To make you understand," Kosh spoke up, his tinkling musical voice warm.

"Understand what?  That my father is dead?  That he was already dead twenty years ago?  That you kept a life support on him?!  Is that it?" David exploded.  He didn't like Lorien or Kosh, even though the Vorlon seemed nice.  It was just that he didn't like anything that remotely had to do with Shadows or Drakh.

"Patience," Kosh's voice stopped him in the middle of his fury.  "You are still growing, David Sheridan.  You do not understand our ways-"

"Well, your ways are a damned ancient history," he threw back at the Vorlon.

"There is a Darkness coming, and you must face it.  It has been clawing at the doors to Thirdspace, but never successful.  Now, it comes and you will have to choose allies.  Choose wisely, or else you will fail."

"Destiny had not been written for you, but you will have limited time.  Protect those who are close to you Young One.  Do not make the mistakes we did," a new voice spoke up and David suddenly shrank back as a Shadow approached him, one feeler out in a gesture of peace.  "Choose, the easy or hard way.  The trials will be harsh, the rewards minimal, but this must be accomplished to drive back the Darkness."

"Why…why the hell are you talking to me?!  Why all this?!" David shouted at them as he felt something heavy pull at him and their images became blurred and dark.

"They are massing at Z'ha'dum," the faint whisper of Lorien's voice echoed after him.

David suddenly woke up with a start; bolting upright from his forty-five degree angled bed, and fell off, landing to the ground with a painful thump.  He blinked slightly and realized that he was back aboard the Junon, everything quiet and proper.  The Triluminary that had belonged to his mother was glinting a dim light on his side table and he lifted a hand to rub his eyes.

That was when he felt wetness on his cheek and realized that he had been crying during his sleep…crying for his father, mother, and whatever else was going on.  Why me…he silently pounded a fist on the deck of the Junon.

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Author's Notes:

            Yeah, sad, creepy chapter.  Yep, the Shadows and Vorlons will be making a return in this series (don't worry, not all of them, just some of them).  I also have a concept to the Thirdspace/The Hand scenario.  It'll be explained later.  I dunno…I feel that some people portray David too much like his father so I'm trying to get away from that stereotypical imagery.  He's changed a lot, I think, so…is it change for the best or worst?  Oh yeah, all quotes by Sheridan and Delenn in this chapter along with some Lorien ones, are attributed to: Z'ha'dum, Hour of the Wolf, Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi, and Falling Towards Apotheosis.  ^_^x  Shadow Chaser signing off…6/11/02.