---At the very end of Divided Loyalties.---
Talia paused outside of the Captain's office.
"Go to hell," Commander Ivanova's voice snarled, muffled through the door.
Talia took a deep breath and entered. It was tempting to walk away, but it sounded like Susan needed a friend or a distraction. Talia would have never imaged Ivanova would speak like that to the Captain.
Her eyes widened as she saw the entire senior staff scattered around the room, their attention focused on a woman with short red hair. Could it possibly be Lyta Alexander? That was impossible; she was on the run from the Corps! How could she have possibly gotten here?
Nevertheless, Talia continued into the room and said with determined cheerfulness "Ah Captain, I've been looking for you..."
Suddenly Lyta's mind skittered through her defenses and shouted a word into her mind. Caught unprepared Talia grabbed Garibaldi's arm for support and shot a wounded look at Lyta.
Then a dark power rose up from the depth of Talia's mind and seized control of her mind, destroying Talia synapse by synapse until Talia found herself shoved back into that secret box Ironheart had implanted in her mind with the telekinetic power. She watched in horror as the invading mind grabbed Garibaldi's gun and tried to shoot Lyta.
"Get her out of here!" Sheridan shouted.
"You blew my cover! You're dead! Do you hear me? You're dead! The Corps is mother, the Corps is father! You're dead, Lyta Alexander! We'll find you! The Corps will find you!" Talia heard herself shout as Garibaldi dragged her struggling body out of the door.
While the entity in Talia's body struggled, Talia focused on the shocked Commander's eyes. Susan! Talia tried to scream, but she was trapped in that box that was also her salvation. Then the door cut off those pale blue eyes.
later...
Talia was helpless in her own body, forced to watch as the Sleeper puttered around her quarters purchasing new clothing and packing the few things of Talia's that the Sleeper felt was worth keeping. It was odd, her eyes focusing on strange things, leaving the object Talia had been looking at fuzzy and out of focus. She could feel the sickening emotions and thoughts of the creature as it threw away the vase Talia's uncle had sent to her. What would happen to him now that the Sleeper knew about him and his connections with the Mars Resistance?
The door chimed and her body turned to face it. "Enter," the Sleeper called.
Susan stood in the doorway looking like she didn't know why she was there. "I had to see you before you left. I wanted you to know that I don't blame you ...and I hope that there is still some, small, part of you left that can hear me?"
Talia wanted to reach out to her, I'm here! .
But the Sleeper closed the distance between her and Susan and laughed. "Poor Susan Ivanova, my good and dear friend. The Talia you knew is quite dead.
"You believed everything she told you, didn't you? Everything I whispered to her as she slept. What to say, what to do, to bring her closer to you... and what you knew."
Talia watched helplessly as the hope died in Susan's eyes.
Susan stepped back from Talia's body. "Your right," She said, speaking directly to the Sleeper for the first time. "The Talia I knew is dead." She left without a backward glance.
Talia shrieked with silent grief in her prison as the Sleeper, oblivious and chuckling with malicious satisfaction, finished packing.
