As usual, I don't own anything you recognise as from B5. All hail to JMS, the great maker.
Part 1
The alley was dark. What lights there were in the streets were intermittent at best, and being this close to the edge of the dome, the Martian darkness seemed to suck out even those.
The young man nervously stood at the mouth of the alley, peering into the blackness of the shadows, listening for any signs of life. He had attended collage on Mars for three years and knew exactly which parts of Dome One you should avoid. The part where he was right now.
If he shouldn't be here, then the girl he had followed shouldn't either. He had spotted her a few times around campus in the last year, but had never had a reason to approach her. Tonight though, she had passed him going off campus in a hurry. Her determined stride had piqued his curiosity and he had followed. Now he was cursing that curiosity as it had led him to the worst part of the dome.
He shifted uneasily. The girl had entered the alley five minutes before, and then disappeared. He could just about make out the wall at the far end from where he stood. It was an obvious dead end, so where had she gone? Was there a door that she had gone through, or was she lying unseen in the shadows, injured?
He couldn't stand it any longer. He couldn't leave without an answer.
Stepping forward, he felt out for the walls on either side of him. Tripping over the rubbish, he stumbled to the end of the alley. There was not a single door anywhere, and he hadn't come across a body. The girl had truly disappeared!
Blowing out his breath in frustration, he turned to retrace his steps. The whole place was making him uneasy, and he intended to get back to campus, and safety, as quickly as he could.
Halfway back down the alley, he stopped short. A shadow; two shadows blocked his way. A hand of fear rose up from his stomach and squeezed his windpipe. This is exactly why they were warned against coming into this area. Desperately, he stepped forward again, trying to slip past the two figures.
He was grabbed by either arm and pushed roughly against the wall.
"Hey rich kid." One of the shadows growled next to his ear. "Do you know you are trespassing on my property?"
"No." He blurted out the feeblest excuse as panic set in. "I got lost. Can you tell me how to get back to John Carter College?"
There were twin chuckles from the dark.
"Maybe. Depends on how much you can pay us."
"My wallet's in my jacket pocket."
Another laugh.
"I wasn't thinking money."
He gulped and felt a sudden cold sweat break out on his forehead as the hands that pinned him gripped tighter.
"Oh I am sorry. Am I disturbing something?"
All three heads turned at the female voice. Standing in the middle of what had only a short time before been an empty alley, was the recognisable silhouette of the girl.
"Where did you come from?" growled one of the thugs.
"Never mind." The other chuckled. "She can be the second course. Grab her!"
The first thug moved up the alley towards the girl.
"I'm going to enjoy this." He said.
A swoosh-clunk of sliding metal echoed in the blackness.
"Oh, I don't think so."
To be continued...