ACT THREE

FADE IN:

EXT. BABYLON 5

CGI establisher. Time has passed.

INT. BABYLON 5 – DOWN BELOW – TELEPATH COLONY

Jones and Smith are there, as is Lurker #1 and several other lurker looking telepaths. Jones is in the centre of the room.

LURKER #2

Why have you called us here?

JONES

Patience my friends.

We are still for a BEAT as Jones simply paces, eventually an Earth Force security officer lets himself into the telepath's hideout.

It can be the same one that relieved Zack of his post in Act One when Talia arrived.

SECURITY OFFICER

Jones.

JONES

Do you have it? What I paid a lot of credits for?

SECURITY OFFICER

Information? Yeah, she's on Blue Three. I traced the elevator logs and that's where it was headed around the time she arrived. That was about twenty minutes ago.

JONES
So she has not been here long?

SECURITY OFFICER

You guys are the telepaths, you tell me!

Jones looks angry.

SECURITY OFFICER (CONT'D)

Yesh, okay. Yeah, she's only been here a little while. She arrived wearing a Psi Cop uniform. I've read her file, I thought she was only a P5?

JONES

What of it?

SECURITY OFFICER

I thought you had to be like a P11, or P12 to be a Psi Cop?

JONES

Yes. Strange isn't it.

SECURITY OFFICER

Look buddy, I got you the information you needed, so how's about paying me the second half of my fee?

JONES

You're fee? You almost make yourself sound like a legitimate businessman.

SECURITY OFFICER

Hey, I've got a family back on Earth. If I'm a full time security guard and a part-time information distributor they aren't going to complain when the payments I'm sending home suddenly get larger now are they?

JONES

Looks like that pay packet home isn't going to be very inflated this month my friend, I won't pay you.

SECURITY OFFICER

WHAT! We had a deal Jones!

JONES

Yes. And I'm changing the terms: either scoot yourself back to wherever you call home on this spinning lump of metal and wait for me to contact you again in the future about more information or I'll be informing Security Chief Allen about your little: extra earnings?

The Security Officer lunges forward, grasping Jones firmly by the shoulder.

SECURITY OFFICER

You listen here buddy!

Jones swings around to face her would be attacker.

JONES

NO! YOU LISTEN!

The Security Officer stumbles back, holding his head.

JONES (CONT'D)

Do not touch me. Nobody ever touches me. Do you understand?

At this point the security officer falls onto the floor in silent agony. We can have a few CLOSE UP shots of the other telepaths nervously glancing at each other, not really liking their leader's harsh tactics.

When Jones doesn't show any sign of ceasing his telepathic attack Smith steps forward.

SMITH

I think he's learnt his lesson Jones. Let him go.

Jones doesn't look away, doesn't look up. He's focused on inflicting this pain, a small sadistic smile creeps across his face.

SMITH (CONT'D)

Jones! That's enough!

Jones finally breaks the psi-attack and turns his attention to Smith.

SMITH (CONT'D)

He's got a wife and children Jones, our quarrel isn't with the mundanes: it's with the Corps.

JONES
He might have had enough! But what about you?

Smith suddenly holds his head in pain.

JONES (CONT'D)

Are you trying to block me you coward?! I am a P12, you are a P3 – You're lucky to even be in the same room as someone so genetically superior than you.

LURKER #2

Jones! Please!

Jones looks around at his comrades, they are all dismayed by his actions. With this revelation he breaks the contact.

JONES (To the Security Guard)

Be gone. Your payment is your life. Never come down here again.

The Security Guard, still holding his head, stumbles away out of CAMERA shot.

The other telepaths close in around Jones.

JONES (To them)

Listen true followers. Do you all know why you were summoned here?

Their anger and dismay is gone, even from Smith: they are mesmerized by his words. Believe in his ideals.

JONES (CONT'D)

The traitor. Talia Winters is here. She would once have been a powerful ally, one that once aided the underground movement: but has since returned to the clutches of the Corps. She is pure evil, an attractive female embodiment of Psi Corps ideals, of Bester's will.

SMITH

She watched my brother die!

LURKER #3

She almost caught me on Mars Colony, she killed my two travelling companions: only I escaped.

JONES

She wields evil like a weapon in the darkness. She must be stopped.

Jones looks to Lurker #4.

JONES (To Lurker #4)

Do you have it?

LURKER #4 backs up, breaking the semi-circle that had formed around Jones to reveal a medium sized case, metallic in look: but very dusty.

LURKER #4

I have it. But it wasn't easy. But for the cause –

JONES

You'd do anything of course.

(beat)
Ready the device. Soon the words of our martyr will be heard, not just throughout Babylon 5, but through the entire Earth Alliance. Our voice will be heard and it will be feared.

We CLOSE UP on JONES' evil face before we cut,

INT. BABYLON 5 – DOWN BELOW CORRIDOR

Delaney is walking along alone. She stops when she hears the approach of running footfalls. She turns to greet the owner.

Smith enters,

SMITH

Dorothy!

DELANEY

What is it John? Have you been running about like a fool all over Down Below just to find me?

SMITH (Catching his breath)

Yes.

DELANEY

Why you are silly. Why would anyone want to seek my conversation that desperately?

SMITH

Jones – He's, he's gone mad.

DELANEY

Jones? He is indeed a dark soul. I sensed it in him the moment he arrived here. It was as if he didn't believe in our cause, didn't hate the Corps or the mundanes particularly. He just didn't belong in normal society, which is why he finds himself so comfortable amongst us: society's outcasts.

SMITH

Please! You are the only one who can stop him, you're the only other P12 on the station besides him.

DELANEY

He may be dark, uninviting: even mad, as you put it, but I have no grounds to cause me to seek him out? To find him, and stop him as you ask.

SMITH

He knows about Talia. He wants to set an example to the mundanes, to the Corps, to everyone: that the free telepaths won't stand around any longer. He wants the words of Byron to be used to violence: to start a war, to –

DELANEY

To kill others.

(beat)

I heed your words John Smith, and am greatly disturbed by them. Where is Jones? I will confront him immediately.

SMITH

You must be careful Dorothy, he is dangerous.

DELANEY

I know. But light must always battle dark. It is the way of things.

(beat)

I will do what I can.

INT. BABYLON 5 – Blue Sector – Corridor

Jones and Lurker #4, who is clutching the case, are making their way nervously through Blue Sector.

They stop just before rounding a corner, Jones pokes his head around it to watch Zack Allen entering the lift. He cautiously comes around the corner, nearing Talia's quarters.

He is unexpectedly stopped in his tracks by Delaney.

DELANEY

Halt your activities Jones.

JONES

DELANEY! What are you doing? I'm doing this for the good of our kind! Do you honestly believe our martyr would want us sitting around simply hoping the Corps will not find us?!

(beat)

They have sent their most powerful bloodhound here to try and catch us in our homes, catch us whilst we are sleeping. She will slit our throats and watch us bleed to dead.

DELANEY

You must believe in the chosen of Byron. She is his most trusted friend, and if she believes this Talia Winters will aid us: then we must trust her and do as she asks.

JONES

Wrong you witch!

Jones touches his temple softly, a sign he is concentrating his Psychic powers on Delaney.

He reopens his eyes, whatever he was trying to do has failed.

DELANEY

Shocked? Surprised? Stunned? Those are just words, but the picture of your face tells a million stories. Expecting what Mister Jones? Me to fall to the floor in agony? Clutching my elderly painful head?

(beat)

I've been out of Psi Corps for nearly forty years Mister Jones. Before that I was rating a P13. In all this time did you really expect me not to have the power to stop you? Did you think I wouldn't have learnt a few tricks along the way?

JONES

I have a few tricks of my own you old hag!

Jones reaches into his pocket and raises his PPG. Delaney is too far away to make a different, but Lurker #4 makes a grab for it and the weapon is thrown to the floor.

Jones gives a startled glare at Lurker #4 before running off.

LURKER #4 (Approaching Delaney)

Shall I go after him?

DELANEY

No… No… he will one day see our point of view. We cannot afford to dispense with possible allies like this. Not now, not when all that will soon come to pass.

LURKER #4

But what if he never sees our point of view?

DELANEY

Then I will face him again: on the field of battle.

INT. BABYLON 5 – TALIA'S QUARTERS

Talia is still stood watching Lyta's recording. We now finally SHOW the audience the recording is definitely Lyta.

The CAMERA opens on Lyta's face, pulling back to show Talia watching.

LYTA
I've gone a long way to find YOU Talia. Because you are more important to my cause, than to yours.

(beat)

You don't believe me? Well maybe I'll just explain to you the lengths I went to find you –

WE FADE TO BLACK:

END OF ACT THREE.

END OF PART ONE.