Chapter 11 Closing ranks

Happy New Year, folks! Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

As usual, nothing recognisable is mine

Ambassador Delenn's quarters

Dean was nervously pacing the quaint room when the door opened to allow Sam and Delenn in. Dean inspected his brother carefully. Sam looked all right, if a bit puzzled and irritated. For the first time since he had realised Sam had been taken, Dean allowed himself a sigh of relief.

"See, Mister Winchester?" Delenn smiled at him, "Trusting people now and then actually does guarantee results."

Dean's only acknowledgement to Delenn's remark was a curt nod in her direction. She had indeed done exactly what she had promised to do and gotten Sam free almost in record time. That would always earn her some fraction of respect from Dean. But she would have to do a lot more than sweet talk the Captain of Babylon 5 into releasing people from his custody to gain Dean's full trust.

"You all right, Sammy?" Dean asked, still eyeing his brother critically.

Sam shrugged his shoulders.

"Never better," he replied. "I'm glad you did the reasonable thing for once and actually asked for help. I was afraid you'd blow the station to bits to get to me."

Dean waved that aside. They both knew the lengths they would go for each other. They did not need to get into that now.

"Well, I wouldn't have had to do anything if you hadn't fallen into their hands," he pointed out, trying to make light of the situation. "How the hell did they figure us out anyway? Was it the Markab?"

"And Mollari," Sam added.

Dean frowned.

"What, the Centauri Ambassador? How the hell did he get involved?"

"I assume the Markab told him just as he told Ambassador Delenn and the Captain," Sam suggested, not really sure about his theory.

Delenn too looked doubtful.

"Unlikely," she said. "The war with the Narn has caused a state of tension around the Centauri. Many of the League worlds no longer trust them. They fear that, if the Narns are defeated, any of them could be next."

"Earth deals with them," Sam pointed out. "When I went to see Mollari the first time, there was this guy with him – Morden, I think his name was."

Delenn turned to Sam swiftly at the mention of the name.

"You saw Morden?" she asked him sharply.

Dean raised his eyebrows at Delenn's sudden agitation.

"Friend of yours?" he inquired mildly.

"Hardly," Delenn replied. "Mr Morden is a very dangerous person – employed by…powers any reasonable person would oppose. If he too is after the talisman…"

"I don't think he is," Sam said. "From what I gathered he was actually telling Mollari not to get involved with it."

Delenn frowned. She could understand why Morden would not want Londo anyway near the talisman. If it was as powerful as suggested, it could put the Centauri out of Morden's influence – which he could not allow. What she could not figure out was why would Morden warn Londo about the Winchesters. It was clear they wanted to get the talisman out of the station. If anything, the success of their plan would work as much in Morden's favour as it would for the other side. Unless, of course, he did not want them out of the way for himself.

Even before the Winchesters had arrived, there had been strange occurrences. And Delenn had been given to understand they had to do with the presence of the talisman.

"There is another force at work here," she discovered. "Someone other than Mr Morden and his associates. The mysterious death of the lurker in Downbelow…"

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "We know what that is. And it has to be after the talisman too."

"And whoever this is has formed an alliance with Morden and his people," Delenn discovered. "It makes sense. Morden wants the talisman off the station and as far from the people he has under his control as possible. After all, it could cause complications. In the hands of such as Londo, it could cause Morden to lose influence with them. On the other hand if Captain Sheridan or I were to have it, we could use it against Morden. If it is so powerful, we might do great damage to him."

"He's panicked," Sam completed. "Then our little friend comes into the picture and promises he can get the talisman out of his hair – if he prevents us from getting it."

"Great," Dean muttered sarcastically. "I want out of here before this thing blows to hell. Ambassador, I hope you won't find me rude, but the sooner you pay for the talisman, the better."

Delenn nodded.

"I will see to it," she agreed. "Tomorrow you will have all you need. Hopefully this will all be over quickly."

The Winchesters made to leave. In front of the door, Sam paused. He eyed Delenn thoughtfully. If Morden was trying to get him and Dean out of the picture as a favour to the demon who was after the talisman, what if the demon was thinking of taking care of Morden's own problems in return, especially when one of those problems had shown herself openly in support of the Winchesters?

"Ambassador," Sam began, "You might find this strange, but I think you should put a salt line in front of your door."

Delenn frowned at that.

"I'm sorry?" she asked. "Why?"

"Because we tell you to," Dean said promptly. "Trust us. After all, you're the one who's so big on trust, Ambassador."

Londo Mollari's quarters

Vir Cotto walked in cautiously. His employer was in a foul mood. He had been that way ever since he had found out from Morden Sam Parks was not who he said he was. Of course, that put Vir in a very awkward position. He was the one who had cleared Sam to see the Ambassador, after all.

It was not the first time Vir stopped being in Londo's good graces. Actually, if Vir thought better of it, he was in and out of Londo's favour three times a week. That was nothing new. Being Londo Mollari's diplomatic attaché was a risky business. Being Londo Mollari's friend was even more so.

The truth was, Vir did not have the lousy instincts everyone else claimed he must possess. The fact that he refused to take part in the constant schemes and machinations happening everywhere on Babylon 5 made him honourable, but not naïve. He could read people very well. He had read Sam Parks – Sam Winchester, according to Mr Morden – well enough. He had sensed there was more to him than met the eye. He had also sensed he could be trusted – unlike Mr Morden, of course.

Vir cleared his throat. Londo turned around, looking at the other expectantly. Vir cleared his throat again. Londo shook his head in exasperation.

"Well, Vir?" he snapped impatiently. "I haven't got all day, you know."

Vir nodded quickly.

"No, I understand," he said. "Only, you're not going to like this, Londo."

Londo raised his eyebrows.

"After the day I'm having," he began dismissively. "What's one more inconvenience? Well, what is it, Vir?"

"It's…well, it's about that reporter," Vir began, avoiding the Ambassador's eyes. "Mr Parks…"

"Not Mr Parks, apparently," Londo pointed out frowning. "And you let him in without so much as a background check. You're slipping, Vir."

Vir refrained from pointing out that no one had done any background checks on Morden – and that, as far as Vir was concerned, Sam Parks –or anyone else, for that matter – could not have been worse than Morden.

"In any case, the matter is settled," Mollari went on. "I talked to Sheridan and he told me he'd arrest him – and his brother. He probably has the two of them on a ship back to Earth as we speak."

Vir bit his lips. This was the part that he was going to enjoy least.

"Actually, Ambassador," he began bravely, "He doesn't. he set him free."

"What?!" Londo shouted and Vir flinched, looking for something to duck under in case Londo decided to start throwing things. "Why?"

"Well, apparently Ambassador Delenn wanted him set free," Vir said quickly. "And she also wants you to leave him alone as well."

"Oh does she now?" Londo muttered. "And what is her game? What reasons has she to protect these two?"

Vir shrugged his shoulders. He figured that he might as well give Londo a piece of his mind while he was at it.

"If I were you, though," he said. "I would ask instead what Mr Morden's game is. He's the one who warned you about Sam Parks and he never does anything without a reason. And the reason is never a good one."

Brown sector

Morden was wrong. Him and his kind were not obsolete, not on the edge of extinction as the emissary of the Shadows had so arrogantly suggested. On the contrary, they never could be that. They were the most adaptable beings in the universe. They always knew how to make the best of any situation.

The demon who had arrived on Babylon 5 in the body of a Dust smuggler, presently killed over a territorial fight, made used of a depressed lurker to ransack the quarters of alien dignitaries in the search of the talisman and had subsequently taken refuge in a third host – a frustrated dock-worker by the name of Stan, of whom he now knew more than Morden – firmly decided not to let himself be let down by the way things were progressing. He could manage to turn them around. More than that, he could perhaps be even more successful than any of his kind had been so far.

So the Winchesters were there and they were after the talisman. What of it? The demon was welcome to let them have it. He would wait until they had their hands on the thing and then he would act. If he caught them at unawares, perhaps he might have a chance. If he was lucky, he'd get not only the talisman, but also the Winchesters and maybe, as a bonus, half of Babylon 5 too. Not because he actually needed to wreck the station. But, if he could get some extra entertainment and surpass Morden in the level of devastation he caused, well why not? All in a good day's work, as one would say.