This is nine…not the last but we are getting close!!
Susan
ran through the door into C&C, and the first thing she heard was a
incredibly confused voice "Commander? Is that you?"
She stopped, as she was
recognized, and immediately pulled her hood back on her head, cursing mentally
in the process. She could tell by the voice is was Corwin, on duty in C&C.
Some things would never change.
"What…how did you…"
Corwin, did the Captain change my codes? She ignored his shock, and confusion, she had to move, and move fast.
He flinched, visibly, and he panicked. Susan felt both, and sighed. "Talk to me normally."
"She can't. She's mute." Marcus interjected quickly. "Corwin, answer the question, did the Captain change her codes."
"Some, not all. All the ones that could actually be done from outside this room, yes. The others he didn't."
Marcus, I need you by the main control panel. She went to her old station, and it almost seemed like old times…this is where she was suppose to be, where she wanted to be. I have to scan you deeply, and keep it for a minute…I have to be able to see…
"Okay. Do it."
She concentrated on scanning his mind; pushed the threads of her mind outwards and into his. She felt his surface thoughts, the calmness that radiated through his mind, the wondering thoughts about exactly how she was going to do this, and devoted protection to her. She kept going. Blurs of images, things past and present swirled by, and she made her way to his senses, and then she could see through him. What he was seeing.
Wow. She was nearly overwhelmed by the sences she was having to control, but she held fast, ignoring the slight headache that was beginning to form. She could see the panel she could feel was there, see the colors of the buttons, the navigation panel, everything. Running her hand over one of the panels she started pushing in digits.
The Computer voice droned "Need voice identification for lockdown of C&C."
Susan
cursed. Corwin, do you have authorization to do this code?
"I should, if you had it- but
I didn't know it existed. How did…"
It
exists because of the shadow war; only the captain and I had authorization.
"Okay." She could feel his
hesitance, but he would.
Good.
Say,
name and rank.
"Commander Corwin."
Alpha 2 , 2, 5, 9, 9, 3, sigma, 2, 4, 1, 3, omega.
He repeated it perfectly.
"Timed Lockdown of C&C could not be performed, voice identification match failed."
She pulled herself out of Marcus' mind, only to hear the sound of 4 PPG's powering up.
I
don't have time to deal with this! She pulled the PPG's out of their hands,
and flung them across the room, nearly hitting Corwin in the process. We've
got to be going.
She grabbed Mari's hand and
they went out of the nearest turbo lift.
We need to go to brown sector. We don't have a lot of time. Bottom floor, and from there across.
*********
"Captain." Bester's voice was flat, as his dark eyes looked at Sheridan. "I need to know where they are." He didn't explain, he already could feel from their surface thoughts that they knew what he wanted. His team of five telepaths stood behind him.
He looked at Bester calmly from his seat in the War room. "They are under our protection, and you have no authority over either of them."
"As telepathic civilians of earth- they are ours Captain."
"Ranger Susan Ivanova has Minbari Citizenship, and has protection from the Minbari Government." Delenn stood up to him. "You touch her, and I will have white stars dispatched to the Psi Corps headquarters in less than 15 minutes."
Bester looked completely collected, they couldn't tell if this surprised him or not.
"Mari is a rogue telepath, and as a minor we have complete authority over her."
"Mari asked for sanctuary on this station, Mr. Bester, and I have complied. You touch either of them, and as Delenn said there will be White Stars dispatched to every Psicorps location faster than you can think."
"Don't worry captain. I won't touch them, and I won't leave with them, but, I do have my orders, and I will carry them through. Good day Captain." Bester nodded, and motioned to his team, and they headed out the door to C&C.
Sheridan looked at the door they left.
"He couldn't have known she went out that way…"Garibaldi stated looking at the door.
"He scanned us!"
-*-*-*-*-
The
doors to the turbo lift were closing as doors were opening from the War room.
Bester heard the turbo lift close as he looked around the room, observing the
unretrieved PPGs on the floor. Looking at Corwin, he scanned.
He had his orders- "Get
them-if not, Get the sample."
Bester pushed into Corwin's
mind, he didn't care how much it hurt him. He had to know where they were and
now.
Turbo
lift, they had just gotten on the turbo lift…
He sent a suggestion into the Commander's mind, about how to turn off the turbo
lifts…he found it, the code, and how to do it from C&C. He took control of
Corwin's body, and he walked to the panel, pushed a few buttons and his
authorization code. The computer announced that turbo lift two had been shut
off.
He didn't pull out of Corwin's mind- not yet. He still needed him.
-*-*-*-*-*
Ivanova could feel as the turbo lift stop abruptly. Marcus we're not on a floor are we?
"No."
Susan clinched her fists. They've already caught us.
Mari whimpered telepathically and pulled up as close to Susan as she could get.
"I'm going to protect you."
Marcus…there isn't anything you can do…
"Susan…I…"
He pulled her close, and removed her hood. "I'll always look for you, I'll always protect you, no matter what. No matter the cost." He kissed her softly. She leaned into it deepening the kiss. She knew-and he knew-this might be the only one they ever would share. She clung to him, as Mari clung to her. She held on to the hope that he could save her, that everything would be alright. We've got to find a way out of here.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Bester
made sure three of his team were standing at the entrance door to C&C and
telepathically suggesting that anyone who might want to come through that they
needed to be somewhere else. That should take care of the Sheridan problem for
now. The other two were busy holding off the four in C&C. Bester fingered
the C&C panel slowly, pulling out the codes to turn on the vid screen, and
then turning on the camera in the turbo lift.
He
watched with little amusement as Susan pulled away from Marcus. There hands
still connected. Marcus looked up and said something to Susan.
*-*-*-*-*
"We could go out the hatch." Marcus looked at it.
Can you get up? I've got Mari and I.
"I got it." He pulled out his Den'book and pushed the hatch open. "Lets get Mari though first."
I got her. Mari, you ready? I'm going to pick you up now.
Yeah. Susan could feel her fear radiating off the child in waves.
Don't
worry. We'll get out. Up you go.
Susan lifted Mari telekinetically, easing her to the top of the turbo
lift and setting her down.
Marcus, go. Are you going
to need any help?
"Nope." He jumped up and
pulled himself through.
After knowing he was through
the hatch, she concentrated on moving herself. It was a strange feeling as she
moved herself off the ground with her mind and through the hatch. She floated
with grace and ease.
"That has to be convenient." Marcus shook his head.
It is. She pulled Mari into her arms, from where she was holding herself in the air. 'cept it requires a lot of concentration and will give me a headache after awhile. Come on. Where is the nearest floor?
"It's a little ways up…" His voiced echoed in the dark tube.
What
is a little ways!? I can't feel it !! Frustration was evident in her tone.
"Now Susan, you wouldn't be
looking for an escape…you can't run from us." Bester had opened the door from
C&C and had spoken into the turbo lift shaft.
She
grabbed Mari tighter. Marcus, you've got to open the door- I can't tell
where it is until you open it. NOW She could feel him trying to scan
Marcus, and she blocked for him. She wasn't sure how long she could do
this-everything she had and was doing was pushing her limits.
-*-*-*-*-* Meanwhile-*-*-*-*-*
Lyta Alexander tapped her
fingers as she waited in line for her ID to be scanned in the docking area of
Babylon 5. It was extremely busy, and she sighed. She shouldn't have been back,
but Delenn had asked. She didn't owe these people anything, but after what she
described, she had to do something. No one deserved that.
A security guard scanned her ID. He looked at her strangely. "You're the Seventh telepath we've gotten through in the last 30 minutes."
She looked at him, seriously debating weather to scan him. "Was Mr. Bester among them?"
"Yes."
She nodded. She was supposed
to arrive before he got here, now things were going to go haywire. "Where is
the Captain?"
"He is in the War Room meeting
with the other telepaths."
"Good."
She took off towards the War room at a fast pace.
When she reached the room,
John Sheridan was pacing, looking at the door.
He turned as soon as he was the door
open. "Lyta!"
She nodded. "What is going
on?"
"The Bastards are standing on the other side of that door, and have locked us out of C&C! I knew I should have followed them…"
"Locked you out?"
"Every time we get near that door we immediately walk away. We can't get through. Garibaldi tried to go around, but the turbo lift has been stopped. We're assuming Susan was on that turbo lift."
She nodded. "Very well." She walked forward to the door, and she could feel the slight tingle as the Psicop's telepathic suggestions hit her blocks. She sighed. She looked behind her. "Are the two of you coming?"
As she walked to the door and it opened, three shocked telepaths stared back at her.
"Hello Boys."
-*-*-*-*-*-
"Got it!" Marcus hit the manual open switch, and the door opened. "Come on you two go through first."
We can't, the Psicop is trying to scan you. Go first Mari sent, feeling Susan's distress.
He went through, and Susan and Mari followed close behind. "Now where to?"
This way. Susan took off down the hall, without looking back.
---Heh, I lied…but I really thought
that this was going to be the last chapter. *grr* It did NOT want to do what I
wanted it to do at all…
Well, I hope you enjoyed
anyway…there were a lot of transitions that I thought were shaky, but I hope
you enjoyed anyway and it wasn't too confusing ^_^ Look for the next part
soon!!
