Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
I can't help it there's nothin' I want more
I would fight for you - I'd lie for you
Walk the wire for you - Ya I'd die for you
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for...
Al Bester entered her room. She looked up at him from her handstand. Carefully she lowered herself, facing away from him. She had begun to shake with the effort anyway. She had been interrogated for the last few days, but no torture, no drugs, just the endless mind games. She shivered. "They're here." He nodded and left. She stood perfectly still a minute before heading for the bed. Under the pillows was her disguise, a black uniform. She felt a whisper in her mind, her mothers words, "So strong my little one, so strong, too strong my love, strong enough to be like him, a heart of lead inside a body with no soul…" With a deep breath she stripped her prisoner's clothing and pulled on the uniform.
It was a slow process, finally she took the PsiCorp pin and placed it on her chest. She shivered in the black uniform, the gloves came on next and then the PPG was strapped on. She swallowed as she shifted uncomfortably in the soft uniform. It was restricting, like a jail around her skin.. She lifted a mirror and examined her face. Her right eye was still puffy and blood shot, and her cheeks were swollen and yellowish. Carefully she put on make-up thick enough to hide the marks onto her face and a contact to hide her bloodshot eye. She looked back in the mirror. A shudder passed through her, she had seen this image in her mothers head, and the revulsion her mother had felt at it had always stayed with her.
He was there a moment later. He saw the tear trailing down her cheek as she turned to him. She reached up to wipe it away and stopped at the sight of her black leather gloves. Quickly she wiped it away. Her sadness and disgust for the disguise she could see making his jaw tighten.
"Shall we?" he asked when she had composed herself. She nodded. They walked down the clinically clean corridors of the PsiCorp building, she didn't receive one curious look or even a stray thought. "You could still change your mind." He said softly. She looked over at him. He met her derisive glance and looked away.
"Had to try." He offered.
"Don't." she replied shortly, concentrating on keeping upright, she was starting to feel dizzy and her back, ribs and legs were paining from her beating of a few days before.
They had left the building and entered the underground regions. Once there she led him to where she had put her ranger Uniform. Carefully and slowly she changed. He handed her the Ranger pin. She smiled as she put it back on her chest.
They headed through the tunnels in the direction that Marcus was. She stumbled. He went to catch her put she hissed and pulled away. She extended her pike and using it she walked on.
After another half hour they reached the junction she had seen in Marcus' mind. She stood still a moment. He was near. Very near.
"This is where you leave me." Bester looked at her. He opened his mouth. "Don't. Just go" she told him wearily. "Go!" she ordered when he hesitated. She knew she was too weak to stand without help for much longer. As he turned away, Marcus stepped into the corridor. His face showed his relief as he closed the distance between them with long strides.
"Don't." she held out a hand, palm up to keep him from hugging her. He slowed and stopped sadness etched nto his tired features. "Please…" she added weakly. She swayed. She felt it rising up. A scream echoed through her mind. A terrible shriek. "Shadows." She whispered as darkness closed around her mind. She swayed and this time fell. Fell into the dark hiding place in her mind, behind the walls no one could breach.
Marcus watched Franklin tending her. Marcus felt uncomfortable when Stephen ran his fingers over the cuts on her back. They were then bandaged. Marcus tried not to dwell on the fact that her ribs thrust through her skin, she was as skinny as a starved old dog.
Stephen finished and ran a hand over her hair gently, suddenly her eyes were open and Stephen was clutching his head. A soft scream coming from his open mouth. He stumbled away as she backed away. Suddenly he stumbled, falling to his knees.
She was backing away from him. Then suddenly her eyes lost their crazed look and she was moving to him. She cradled his face with her palms and whispered apologies.
Stephen felt the sudden pain and hate hit him like a wall. He tried to scream, tried to get away, but he couldn't sem to move, he was held still by a presence running through his head. His every nerve seemed on fire with pain. Then as suddenly as it had come the pain was gone. Leaving him gasping fro breath, as he tried to see in the suddenly too dark room.
Cool hand cradled his face and words whispered something he couldn't make out. Arms folded around him, a face appeared, Dark eyes bored into his. I'm so sorry Stephen he felt the words as though they were his own thoughts. He jerked back. His nerves no longer burnt, pain no longer ran through him instead a soft warmth suffused him, as memories of his mother holding him as a child, and the rare times his father had expressed his pride, or the times his sisters would hug him layed through his head, his heart rate returned to normal. And all he could do was drown in enormous brown eyes.
He watched her sit in the corner. Her eyes shut her hands formng a minbari prayer shape, thumbs together, fingers overlaying each other. Her face was still bruised. She looked up. He smiled reassuringly at her. The nervous smile he got in return was better than the psichic attack of the night before.
Number one entered the room and walked towards Stephen, skirting the place where Natasha was sitting by a huge distance.
"Did get your message out?" she asked, pointedly ignoring the Telepath.
"Yes, thank you, it went fine." He said, out of the corner of his eye he saw Natasha slide up the wall.
"Number one," she said, her voice still grating from too little too drink for so long. The resistance leader slowly pivoted to lok at the girl. "There has been an explosion, her eyes fluttered, The Black Sun nightclub. Her eyes opened wide "Twenty civilians were killed in the attack!" Number one cursed as she ran to the door. Natasha met his eyes. She slid back down the wall.
"Lots of injured..." the words were soft. Stephen felt the tug of his medical training his oath to save lives pull at him. He sighed. She smiled bitterly.
"I want to thank you all for coming, I know it was dangerous to get here with the Martial law." The resistance leaders were silent, most of them staring at Natasha, their faces openly hostile, several of them already had their hands on their guns. A sardonic smile touched her bruised face.
"She's not a circus animal you know." Said Marcus. "She's in a lot of pain and doesn't need the people she came here to help staring at her!" he said angrily. Stephen sent Marcus a warning look.
"And she's not the point anyway, B5 wants to talk, now Captain Sheridan has sent us to-" Stephen was interrupted by Phillippe.
"Why should we listen to anything an earther has to say!" he called, there were murmurs of agreement.
"Sheridan put down the food riots after the war! A lot of people here haven't forgotten that." Said number one.
"Now he needs your support, he-" Stephen was interrupted again.
"We haven't seen much support coming from Babylon 5 recently." She said diplomatically.
"Sorry, involved in a little war that threatened to wipe out all life in this sector." Said Marcus sarcastically.
"And before you think it's got nothing to do with you," said Natasha. "The PsiCorps and EarthGov were both involved with the Shadows, and the creature that Marcus killed that was infesting one of your people when he arrived seems to show that they have been responsible for some of the things happening here." They were watching her intently and silently now, though their eyes were still distrustful.
"Now I have been on mars since January, and I have sensed a growing presence of Shadow tech and PsiCorp. Their going to find all of you, and within a few months Mars will be retaken and you will all be dead." Her words were pointed and sharp, even more so with the reminder of her Telepath abilities.
"Now," Stephen said picking up where she had left off. "Captain Sheridan wants to help you, but he needs your support, and he needs to know that you'll act when the time comes, he needs to know he can rely on you." He said.
"And what do we get?" asked Philippe. There were agreeing murmurs.
"Freedom, independence." Said Natasha, they looked to her. "But you have to stop bombing Civilian targets," she added firmly, there was general grumbling and shaking of heads. "You're driving away potential supporters and allowing EarthGov to paint you as evil, rather than as freedom fighters." She added. "You need to gather support, if you are to be the future leaders of Mars you have to show you are worthy of that position." There were catcalls at her words. She stood up. One hand slashed and silence returned.
"You think I don't know what your feeling? My parents took me to outlying colonies under oppressive Earth rule, I lived three years on Proxima 3, and my parents died to keep me away from the PsiCorp." She waved at Marcus. "He was raised on Arisia colony, which was sucked dry by Earth taxes."
"And strip mined by Earth Corporations." Added Marcus. She nodded.
"And I have just spent nearly two weeks in a PsiCorp prison cell." She added. "We have a saying were I come form. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'" she smiled "And the Minbari have a saying." She said. "Anari kel tonah." She said softly. "Free thyself of fear" she translated. "You have to stop being afraid that your going to lose, if you say you will have victory, you will have victory." She smiled.
"And why will that change anything?" asked Philippe.
"It will, because if you know you can win you will fight harder. She looked from face to face.
"Mars will be free, if Sheridan says it will be." She stepped close to them and began to walk in front of the resistance fighters. "Sheridan has made a promise and he will keep it, but for us to help you win your freedom, we have to have your help."
"And we are supposed to believe one man saying this?" asked number two skeptically.
"Yes! If it's the right man," said Marcus, Phillipe snorted.
"And what if I say I fly to New York?" he said derisively, his arms making flapping motions. Stephen smiled.
"In your case, I'd say you were nuts, but if Sheridan said it I'd ask him to stop by on the Westside and pick me up some Bagels!" Number one stepped forwards.
"Anything else?" she asked. Marcus stepped forwards.
"Only one thing, if you agree," he glanced at Natasha. "Natasha will give you some lessons in blocking scans." She smiled sadly.
"I'll give them even if you don't. Perhaps that way you'll at least have a chance on your own..."