Sisters Under The Skin, part 10B: Heroic Hearts (NEW, B5, 10/14)
Sisters Under The Skin
Part Ten: Heroic Hearts (in two parts due to length)
Standard disclaimer applies; not my characters or settings or backgrounds. But they are my words.
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Anna was thinking hard through the return of Senator Crosby to her visitors, the studiously polite good-byes, and the final closing of the door. She didn't move even when the door to her hiding place opened, and her employer stuck her head in the door and said abruptly, “Come out here, I need you.”
Standing slowly, using her hands to steady herself against the walls of the narrow space as she exited, Anna walked towards the desk and took her customary seat. Her mind was racing, sifting through possibilities.
“What are the President's plans for Babylon 5?” Anna asked, giving up on approaching the subject discreetly.
“I'm not sure,” replied Pat. “The embargo has hit them hard, but they've managed to work around it with the support of the other races. They're starting to get their message out, and it's possible they will form the nucleus of the rebellion in the outer colonies.” She had circled around the desk to take a seat behind it. Leaning forward, her elbows on the desktop, fingers interlaced, she examined Anna. “Is that why you took this job, Anna? To find out EarthGov's position on Babylon 5?”
Anna shook her head. In all honesty, it was not the reason; at least it had not been a conscious reason. Then her mind slotted in what Pat had called her. Raising her head to meet the Senator's eyes, kind but wary, she simply asked, “How long have you known?”
“Your identicard is a very good forgery, but DNA doesn't lie. I managed to get a sample soon after you started work, and had it run by a private service.” She leaned back in her chair, crossing her long elegant legs as she did so. “Anna Sheridan, back from the dead.”
Anna shivered inwardly. “That's more true than you know.” She added, “Except for who I am, everything I've told you is true. About the Shadows and the war and my abilities, about what I'm doing here.”
Pat looked at her for a long moment, then nodded her head as if coming to a decision. “All right. I believe you. What did you sense from those two?”
Anna answered bluntly, “They're both Shadow-touched, one more than the other, although I'm not sure which. If President Clark has been working with, or for, the Shadows, it explains a good deal. Their goal was to foment distrust and war, and xenophobia is an excellent tool. His policies effectively kept Earth out of the larger war as it raged across the galaxy.”
Pat considered this. “Clark has always been paranoid about alien influences. He's a modern-day isolationist.” She leaned forward and pinned Anna with her direct gaze. “Is there any basis to his fears? We've been crowding some of the other races out there, and Babylon 5's peace mission seems to have been aborted after the Narn-Centauri conflict. Clark hailed it as a peaceful end to centuries of distrust...the peace of the grave, from what I've heard.”
Anna shook her head. “I literally only know what I've read in the papers. I lost three years to the Shadows, and the war was short-lived. From what I've read and what I've been told, it was horrific. The destruction of most of the Narn infrastructure and the incredible loss of life is only part of it. The dust and debris caused by the use of mass drivers have brought on major climate change. It may take eons to bring Narn back to self-sufficiency.” She shuddered. “According to Delenn, the Shadows gave their aid to the Centauri. That's why it all happened so fast and was so terribly brutal. They were nothing if not efficient.”
Pat sat a moment in silence. “That's Ambassador Delenn you're referring to, correct? How did you come to know her?”
“She was my first friend on the station,” replied Anna. “She's an extraordinary person, kind and open...loyal and fiercely intelligent. She and John assembled an army to fight the Shadows. I still don't know how they did it. It was larger and more diverse than the alliance we assembled to fight the Dilgar.”
“Does she have undue influence over Captain Sheridan? Are his interests still those of Earth's?” probed Pat.
“Influence yes, undue no. And John loves Earth. He'll fight to save it, although there are those who won't agree with his targets or his methods,” Anna shot back.
Pat held up both hands. “Okay, I get that you think he's on our side. And a good thing too,” she mused. “We need at least part of EarthForce behind us or this rebellion is dead from the start.” She sighed deeply and started to shuffle the files on her desk. “Do you have a means of communication with Babylon 5 and Captain Sheridan?”
Anna paused, but only for a moment. “I do, but it's not regular and there are no guarantees of delivery.”
“All right,” replied Pat. “I have my own conduits of information.” She looked at Anna with an odd expression. “You might want to know. There's something going on with the Minbari Federation, or their homeworld at least. We don't have an ambassadorial presence there any more, not since the disappearance of Ambassador Sinclair. Which the Minbari never satisfactorily explained, by the way.” She gave Anna a piercing glance, then shook her head. “No, I suppose you don't know anything about that. Before your time, in a way,” she added with a wry smile. “We still maintain a consulate there, mainly for trade issues and such. The staff there manages to get some news out through diplomatic channels. It looks very much as if the Minbari are gearing up for a civil war. Do you know anything about that?”
Anna blanched. The last message she had gotten from John flashed through her mind.
A-Yes, D has left again. Chasing down some reports of mischief around her old place. I wouldn't worry, she knows how to take care of herself. We've got many plans right now. Your new job sounds interesting. By all means, remember me to your boss. Love-J
The Rangers were the most tight-lipped group she had ever known, but she had gotten the distinct impression they were uneasy. That last messenger had hesitated over her most recent letter to Delenn, even going so far as to indicate it might take a while to deliver it. Anna had thought at first she meant the difference in distance between Earth and Babylon 5, and Earth and Minbar, but the woman had shaken her head when Anna ventured that as a reason. She merely indicated that Entil'zha would likely be on Minbar for a while, but gave no clear indication why. “No,” Anna finally answered after a long silence. “I don't know anything about that.”
“Well, I'll let you know the news as it comes in, if you'll do the same,” suggested Pat. “We each have our sources, it seems. And I'll see what I can find out about Clark's plans for Babylon Five.”
When Anna got back home, to a small apartment which the Senator had found for her just outside of the diplomatic sector of Geneva, she hurried to scrawl a quick note to John.
Dear J-My boss was glad to hear that you are doing well. She drug that whole story of how we met out of me! I gather D is gone for a while; that must be hard on you. My boss knows some people out there and says things are not going that well. I hope D is all right. She is also keeping an ear out for opportunities for you back here! Send my love to L when you can. I don't have any way to contact her and I'm getting a bit anxious for news.
The last day of May Pat called Anna into the office and shut the door. “I have some potentially bad news. From Minbar.”
Anna sat down in the chair before the desk abruptly as the color fled her face. “Is it Delenn?”
Pat nodded, and took her normal seat. “We've had a report from the embassy. They've been holed up there ever since the war reached the capital. There are reports the war has ended.”
“That's good, right?” asked Anna shakily. “And Delenn? What news there?”
“There is some. She was definitely involved in the resolution of the conflict, but the report says she was injured somehow.” Pat leaned forward, clasping her hands and resting them on the desk. “Badly injured, the report said. Burns of some kind.”
“Was Lennier with her, did the report say?” asked Anna. “Her aide?”
“I have no idea,” replied Pat, surprise in her voice. “Why do you ask?”
“If he was there, nothing that bad could have happened to her. He wouldn't let it.” Anna tried to sound confident, searching for a solid surface to place her hope. “Thank you for telling me. I'll see what I can find out.”
J-Have you heard any news from D? I heard she was hurt.
Anna stopped writing and put her head in her hands. How crazy was this situation getting? She was frantic to find out what had happened to her husband's lover, and quizzing him in one of their few opportunities to communicate.
I am going to be traveling this summer and will be in touch as I can. Our mutual friends assure me they can find me anywhere. Let's keep each other informed of what news we hear.
Sighing, Anna set down the pen. This form of communication was proving wholly inadequate. She was tired of hiding her feelings, tired of running from who she was, or who she was going to be. There were moments she woke in her narrow bed, her body pressed up against the wall seeking the warmth of her husband. Senator Crosby was taking her on the campaign trail. They'd be gone all summer. The Senator's home district was in the Mountain West of the old United States, an area Anna wasn't familiar with, and that was probably just as well. That was another thing she was tired of-- living in fear of running into someone from her past life, of having to explain why she was alive.
Denver, Colorado, NorthAmerican Federation, Earth, August 2261
The clinking of champagne glasses underlaid the chatter of the chattering classes. Journalists and politicians, upper-level military and business persons, all mingled and mixed like the rising bubbles. Anna kept to the shadows, enjoying the champagne, but wary of the carefully casual atmosphere. Pat was in the middle of everything, laughing and holding a drink she only occasionally sipped. Currently she was occupied with an older man in an EarthGov uniform. Anna sighed and slipped along the wall. It had been a long few months. The area formerly known as the United States had six Senators representing it in Geneva. They weren't chosen specifically from different territories; the vote was federation-wide. Regulations set the number of elected senators at six from the former United States, three from Canada, and one from Mexico. Senator Crosby campaigned across the Federation, but returned to her home base often for fund-raising, and now, to reach out to those she knew best, sounding out their views on the Clark administration. It was dangerous work, and only Anna knew how tight a rope Pat was walking.
“You hiding out here, too?”
The voice came from an alcove hidden behind a thick red curtain. Anna peered into the dim corner and saw an attractive young black woman in a stunning green dress, with a draped bodice and calf-length skirt. She had a tall glass of clear liquid, and gestured to the window seat. “I get so tired of these dog-and-pony shows, don't you?”
Anna smiled politely, then lapsed into a grin as she sat down thankfully next to the other woman. “I'm kind of new to them myself. Sounds like you've been on this merry-go-round before.”
“The last year or so I've been standing in for my Mom at these official functions. She's not been well, and Dad likes to have someone accompany him to these things. He hates them as much as I do but it's part of his job to deal with the politicos.”
“Your father? Which one is he?” Anna looked out over the crowd of well-dressed and influential people.
“That's him. General Richard Franklin, he's with Senator Crosby.” The woman pointed at Anna's boss.
“Well, I work for the Senator,” began Anna, then she stopped short, staring at the grey-haired man with a no-nonsense expression as he listened intently to what seemed fervent appeal from Pat. “Wait, did you say General Franklin?”
“That's my Dad,” replied the other woman, twirling the stem of her glass between her long fingers. “I'm daughter #4, Sophie by name. And you are?” she questioned.
“Ann Sullivan,” replied Anna quickly. “Administrative assistant and general dogsbody,” she added quickly. Tearing her gaze away from Pat and the general, she examined Sophie. “I don't suppose you have a brother who's a doctor?”
“You know Stephen?” replied Sophie eagerly, an excited flush rising to her cheeks. “I haven't seen him in years! How is he? When did you see him? Was it on Babylon 5 or here on Earth?”
Anna laughed, and held up one hand. “Hold on, hold on. I saw Dr. Franklin on the station, yes. Six or seven months ago. He saved my life in fact.” The laughter stilled as she reiterated the sentiment, “He did save me, literally. He's a good man, and a good friend.”
Sophie nodded, smiling. “That's my brother. I miss him. We correspond semi-regularly, but I haven't seen him in years. Dad saw him out there a couple of years ago. I think they came to some sort of understanding. At least Stephen got back in touch with Mom after that.”
Anna looked at her quizzically. “What stopped him before that?”
Sophie looked away, embarrassed. “Oh, he and Dad never saw things eye to eye. Mom understood, but she still backed Dad up. Dad wanted Stephen to follow him into the military. Stephen did, of course, but he did it his way, getting his medical degree first, then entering the officer corp. It never made any sense, Sheba's a colonel now, teaching at the Academy, and Sigrid's married to a major. She's a lawyer. Sonja's in the outer systems with the Space Marines. You'd think that would be enough Army for any family.”
Anna laughed again, “Your parents must have liked the letter 'S'. Is it a family tradition?”
Sophie shook her head. “Our names were my mom's choices. She's a historian, and wanted to name her girls after queens and warriors. It was Dad's job to name the boys but he only got the one. Stephen is a family name, Dad's great-grandfather.” She took a sip of the sparkling liquid in her crystal flute and added, “I'm another rebel, like Stephen in a way. I became a journalist. Worked for the Army Times for a while, but left it after some creative differences and went freelance. It also left me as the point child when Mom got sick. Easy for me to adjust my schedule, move home and do a little freelance work to keep my hand in. I didn't realize these social functions were to be part of my duties. Frankly, I think Mom was just as glad to give up this part of her job.”
Anna's smile slipped a moment. Sophie was so open and friendly. Anna didn't dare reciprocate with any personal details. She wasn't yet used to this undercover life; this whole trip had been incredibly stressful. Pat didn't seem to appreciate that; maybe because politicians were used to presenting a facade to the world. “I knocked around quite a bit before starting to work for the Senator,” she finally added vaguely. “It's nice to be back on Earth.”
“Why were you on the station with Stephen?” asked Sophie. Her smile lit up her face. Anna found it contagious and returned it.
“Just passing through. I caught something, some sort of cross-species infection. He figured out what it was and got me over it with a minimum of fuss and a lot of charm. He works too hard though,” Anna added soberly. “It's a big job. There are what, a quarter of a million beings living there? Plus all the transients like me.”
“He was always interested in alien physiology. Dad never understood why he'd want to heal them when the military went to so much trouble to put then in the hospital.” Sophie twirled her now-empty glass between two fingers. “It's harder to get in touch since the embargo. Last time I managed a voice-only call we got cut off just after hello. Some sort of security meeting, the man was hovering in the background, I could almost hear him breathing down Stephen's neck. Still, I got the impression Stephen's involved at the command level there, a high level. It seemed odd, even with his military training.”
Anna knew Stephen had been involved in more military matters than Sophie could imagine. People on Earth remained largely unaware of the Shadow War. “If he was meeting with Mr. Garibaldi, I can imagine he had to run.”
Sophie looked briefly puzzled. “It was a Chief Allan that was waiting. At least that's what Stephen said.” She looked a bit wistful. “Stephen seems to be happy and fulfilled. I love my mom, and she needs me, but I miss my job.”
Anna patted Sophie's arm. “You'll get back to it, your job, that is. You've only got one mother.” It was her turn for sadness. “I miss mine every day.”
“How long has she been gone?” asked Sophie with sympathy.
“Longer than I like to remember,” answered Anna. She picked up two glasses from a passing waiter's tray and handed one to Sophie. “Let's toast mothers, yours and mine.” Privately she added John's mother Miranda, who had stood in place of her lost mother ever since Lizzie had taken Anna home during a college break.
Sophie raised her glass and clinked it against Anna's. They both drank, matching smiles tipping over the edges of the crystal glasses. A broad smile broke across Sophie's face as she looked over Anna's shoulder. “Here comes Dad. I imagine he's had about enough of schmoozing tonight.” The imposing man with a chest full of medals on an impeccably turned out formal uniform stopped in front of the two of them. “Hello daughter,” he rumbled in a deep bass voice. “Will you introduce me to your friend?”
“This is Ann Sullivan, Daddy. She works for Senator Crosby. Ann, my father General Franklin.”
Ann held out her hand and felt it gripped firmly. She wondered why Sophie hadn't mentioned her acquaintance with Stephen, but decided to follow her new friend's lead and not mention it.
The General examined her closely but only said, “Nice to meet you.” Then he turned pointedly to Sophie and said, “Would you mind an early night? I have a lot to go over.”
Sophie immediately set down her glass on a nearby table and put one hand on Anna's arm. “I enjoyed talking with you. Are you going to be in town long? Maybe we could have lunch?”
“I'd like that,” said Anna. “I think we're here another week. You can reach me at the Senator's office.”
Sophie nodded and took her father's arm as he led her in the direction of the cloakroom. Senator Crosby approached Anna as the Franklins exited the room, pausing to speak to various dignitaries on the way out.
“Ann, General Franklin gave me some disconcerting news, or at least a hint of some. They're calling in all ground troops from leave, re-assigning them to Earthbase, except for those already on Mars and the Orion satellites. The real news is that there's a contingent being prepared to ship out to Proxima. The colony has been under siege by the fleet for a while now. People are getting desperate, trying to get away. But it seems like the administration is tightening the noose. The situation is explosive.” Pat's face was pale.
Anna choked on her initial panicked reaction, then caught her lip in her teeth. “Lizzie,” was her first thought but the only thing she said was, “What can we do?”
“Not a thing,” said Pat grimly. “It's been set in motion already. We'll head back to Geneva and I'll see what I can find out. Pack up tonight. I'll arrange for the flight first thing tomorrow.”
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My dearest John, we have to find out what's happened to Lizzie. I don't think she's safe on Proxima any more. I'm not sure any one is safe anywhere any more. This situation is out of control and I wish I was there or you were here. How is all going to end? Will we ever see Lizzie again? Will I ever see you again?
Anna laid her head down on the paper, a stray tear or two smudging the ink. This was one letter she would never send, not that she had been contacted by the Ranger post since her return. Pat had hustled the two of them back to Geneva and then promptly disappeared into the corridors of power in an attempt to forestall the crackdown what was coming. There was not a thing that Anna could do: to help Lizzie, to help Earth, to help herself.
Sweeping aside the paper, she pulled a clean sheet towards her and began once again to write.
D, my new friend, I am scared witless about my oldest friend. J's sister and I met in college, we were room-mates and best friends and she introduced me to her older brother hoping we'd get together. L is a lot like J, brave and smart. She never met a challenge she didn't run at head on. I heard a little of what happened to you out there. Please take care. I've not been blessed with many close friends and can't stand the loss of any.
Folding the paper into a tiny square, Anna stuffed it into the pocket of her slacks and pulled on a jacket. The nights were chilly as the summer ended. She was going to visit every mail drop she'd used in Geneva until she spotted one of those Rangers.
It took a few nights of wandering but finally she located a short figure in the traditional gray half-cape in a cafe on the north side of town. It was only a few hours before dawn, but Anna ordered another coffee as she took the seat next to the Ranger. Might as well; it'd keep her going; she had to be at work early that day.
“Are you here long?” Anna broke the silence with the clatter of her cup on the counter top. “I need you to carry a message.”
The older man looked at her from under thick brows, looming like cliffs over stone gray eyes. “I'm just passing through.” He took a sip of his coffee and continued. “Mrs. A, is it? I've heard of you.”
Anna nodded. “That's right. I want to start up the post again. Things are happening. Important things.” She pulled out the square of paper and tapped it nervously against the rim of her cup. “This is personal, but there'll be more information, and soon. Can you set something up?”
The man reached over and took the paper from Anna's hand. He secreted it inside his jacket. “I'll see what I can do. Stop here day after tomorrow, around eight in the evening. Someone will be here and let you know when and where you can catch the next post.” He gulped down the rest of his drink and stood up, leaving a few coins beside his cup. “Always like to leave the tip in coins, old habit. Who's the message for then?”
“Entil'zha,” replied Anna shortly. He smiled and bowed slightly, then left without another word.
Things sped up after that. Messages passed back and forth between Anna and John on the station, and Anna and Delenn on Minbar. There was no word from Lizzie, although John had sent some Rangers in undercover on Proxima to check out the situation, which was growing grim. The populace was divided between EarthGov loyalists and rebels, and martial law had been declared. The whole planet was under embargo; the only shipments allowed in went to the loyalist government for distribution. Distribution was by no means fair and equal, and the people were becoming desperate.
Pat was tight-lipped about the military situation but let Anna know that things didn't look good. Anna passed the information along to John. Though Delenn seemed intent on her progress in re-building the Minbari government, Anna thought she also seemed anxious to return to the station. Anna let John know that and was amused at his awkward pleasure. It was an odd position to play, go-between for two people she loved.
Anna didn't know how to sort out the tangle of feelings in which she found herself. John was opening up to her, more and more, in his brief but poignant letters. The strain they'd labored under since her return was melting away in the warmth of their mutual concern for Lizzie and Delenn. Anna couldn't be sure how much John had learned of Delenn's encounter with the Starfire Wheel, but what details Pat revealed had chilled her blood. Anna agreed with John; the sooner Delenn was back on the station, safe at home, the better.
The senator was due back from a meeting any minute, and Anna was keying transcriber codes into Pat's tablet, propped on the Senator's desk against a stone owl, a gift from a constituent. The Resistance had stayed in touch, and sent coded messages occasionally when they had information or wanted some. A message had arrived today by courier, and the keys later and separately by special messenger. Anna was watching the words unfold, from code to meaning, not really reading carefully, when her attention was caught by a word she recognized. Tenasticin.
Leaning forward, she slid her finger across the screen to stop the transcription, then scrolled back to examine this part of the message. She hadn't got very far when Pat entered the room, a ball of controlled fury.
“They've done it, Anna! The troops have arrived at the jump point nearest to Proxima. The mission is to 'restore order' but there are no restrictions on how; it's left up to the field commander and he's a Clark loyalist. It's going to be ugly. The embargo's been tightened, not even passenger ships are allowed to leave now. He wants them all there, one big happy family kept in order by fear and intimidation.” Pat was walking swiftly back and forth, gesticulating with swift, sharp hand motions.
Anna felt almost relieved. Clark's intentions towards Proxima were clear now. It wouldn't take long before there was an incident, and if there was an incident, John would act, she was certain of it. He would agonize over his conflicting oaths. He would strategize and work out the best plan of attack. He would prepare for anything, hoping that he would have to do nothing. But if it came down to protecting civilians, who were meant to be protected by their military, even from their own government, he would do what needed to be done.
Taking a moment between Pat's ranting, Anna spoke calmly. “It'll bring things to a head. John will act, and then we'll see. People will rally to him. They only need someone to set an example.”
“A leader,” said Pat flatly. She'd stopped pacing, but her hands remained clenched. “I thought I was doing the right thing, staying in the Senate, working to mollify Clark's rulings, remaining inside the system. Now I wish I'd left long ago! Some of us suspected Clark was involved in Santiago's death, almost from the beginning. Then Mars, Babylon 5, Orion...now Proxima? I should have pushed harder, challenged this insanity.”
Anna looked on with sympathy. “You did what you thought was right. And you helped many people along the way. The government is a lot more than Clark's repression, and you've helped ameliorate some of that. You're on the side of the angels, Pat.”
Pat had moved closer to Anna, reading the decoded message over her shoulder. At Anna's words, she reached out and squeezed her shoulder in gratitude. Suddenly, she said “That's odd.”
“What's odd?” replied Anna, craning around Pat to see where she was pointing on the small screen.
“Tenasticin. It's come up before. The Drug Authority had it put on the proscribed list a few months ago. I wondered about it at the time. There's nothing dangerous about the drug. It's of alien origin, I suppose we thought it was all part of Clark's increasing xenophobia. Why's the Resistance interested?”
Anna's thoughts had been circling a memory, of both the recent and long past. “Pops,” she whispered, then “John. They're after John.”
Pat sat down behind the desk and examined Anna in her growing distress. “What do you mean?”
“David Sheridan, Ambassador Sheridan, John's father. He takes Tenasticin for a blood disorder. The can find him through the drug. Make it hard to get, limit the supply and it's easier to track where it goes. Eventually they'll catch up with him, and once they have him, they have a chance of coercing John.”
“Coercing him to do what?” asked Pat.
“I don't know! Give up the fight, or stay out of it? It won't work, but I can see why they think it might.” Anna was fighting back tears. “They burned the farm, Pop's been on the run for months. It's just evil, going after our family.”
“Civil wars are all about family,” replied Pat grimly. “Let's keep an eye on this. I'm on the Controlled Substances committee. I can request reports without too many questions being asked.”
“They'll be watching, Pat. If you get too curious...” Anna wrapped her arms around herself, as if the room had grown suddenly colder.
“I'm known for my curiosity,” laughed Pat. “I'll be careful and ask about many, many things. Tenasticin will be a tree in the forest.” Then she sobered. “How did they know? Old medical records from the Ambassador's time in EarthGov? And how can they be sure that Captain Sheridan's father is the key to his cooperation? Who knows they are that close, besides you?”
Anna shook her head, but a suspicion planted long ago began to thrust pale tendrils up to the surface of her mind. She spoke slowly. “It has to be someone who knows John well, and who has access to information about his father.” Someone who routinely accesses private information, someone whose job it is to know everything about everyone. Someone in charge of security, or who had been. 'Chief Allan', Sophie had said. Whatever happened to Mr. Garibaldi?
Pat nodded, but she was already reading the rest of the message, memorizing information and preparing a return message before wiping the transcript. “Get hold of the special courier. You know the one. I'll gather the data they need and get it encrypted.”
Anna got up briskly and left the room to make the arrangements. She also sent a quick note to Delenn asking about Garibaldi, keeping her doubts under wraps for the moment. A brief reply confirmed that the Security chief had resigned after John and Delenn's return from Corianus Six. What was less clear, was why he had resigned. Anna had felt the shadow of a Shadow in Garibaldi's mind, not direct influence but something different. Her suspicions lingered and grew.
A few weeks later the news came in from Proxima. Captain Sheridan had made his move. EarthGov was in a ferment. Everyone had an opinion although many were afraid to voice it. Pat seldom left the Senate chambers or her office and Anna took to sleeping on the small couch there so she could help where she could. National security concerns kept the majority of the Senators in the dark as to war plans, but everyone knew they were in the works. The President's propaganda office was in overdrive, trying to quell the rumors. Sheridan is coming, that was on everyone's lips, but whether it was said in hope or fear depended on who was speaking.
One evening Pat came in with a white face and tight lips. “Anna,” she said, flipping on the lights. Anna sat up, a soft grey throw sliding off the leather couch onto the floor.
“What is it?” Anna asked, concern quickly changing to fear. “Is Clark moving on the station?”
“No, it's not that. Remember that drug you, and the Resistance, asked me to keep an eye on? A report came across my desk. One I'm not sure I was supposed to see. Someone's put a tracer on every bit of that drug that is imported into Earth. I don't know who, but they say they'll have the elder Sheridan's location within the month. Of course the report referred to a 'person of interest' but that's who they meant.” She leaned on the surface of the desk, palms flat against the surface. “Clark's people are desperate now to put a brake on John Sheridan's plans, whatever they are. They need to discredit him or co-opt him or pressure him into backing down. And they think his father's the key.”
Anna sat very still. Her suspicions blossomed into a certainty of necessary action. “I have to leave. Now. John will walk into a trap, set by friendship and baited with family. I have to warn him.”
“I don't think it'll be that easy to leave Earth, and it's almost impossible to get to Babylon Five” interjected Pat in surprise. “And you need to be careful. You're another pressure point that could be brought to bear on Sheridan.” At Anna's expression of grim determination, she sighed and said, “Give me a day or two. Let me see what I can do.”
Anna thought privately that the Rangers would find a way for her to reach the station, but all she said aloud was, “Thank you.”
The Ranger she contacted actually advised her to take commercial transport, at least as far as Io. There she would pick up an escort who would take her roundabout to the station. Pat set up her flights, giving her diplomatic credentials for a fact-finding tour of the outer system. It took two agonizing weeks. Anna tried writing, giving John warning, but the message didn't get through. Besides, she knew him too well. John made friends rarely but kept them close in his heart, and he considered Michael Garibaldi a friend. No, to convince John that Garibaldi meant to betray him, that he was assisting in the search to capture David Sheridan, Anna had to confront her husband in person. It would take over a week to reach him.
Anna was three days out from the station when David Sheridan was captured and taken to Mars. When she arrived on Babylon 5, John was already gone.