Sisters Under The Skin, part 13B: All In The Family (NEW, B5, 13/14)
And Part 2, which has a little action (just a little) and some Garibaldi, and some Number One. You're guessing where this section takes place, aren't you?
Sisters Under The Skin
Part Thirteen: All In The Family
Standard disclaimer applies; not my characters or settings or backgrounds. But they are my words.
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“Now can we go down to the surface?” Anna was seated on the slightly tilted bed, a compromise position she and Delenn had finally agreed on. It was a few days after John had surrendered to EarthGov. He was stuck in Geneva while the politicos and generals wrangled over his fate. Delenn was serene over this whole farcical scenario, but Anna worried that they would have to make John pay a price to save their own face. “They still haven't released Pops, and I'm worried about him.” Delenn was getting dressed behind a partition. Anna could see her moving behind it, and found it distracting, but not enough to pull her away from her petition. “We should just go get him. They had no right to arrest him in any case.”
“Patience,” counseled Delenn as she came out from behind the sheer half-wall. She adjusted her multi-layered formal gown, smoothing it so it hung straight down from her hips. “There is still much to do here. There are wounded to ferry to the surface or to the hospital ships that are arriving from Earth. There are repairs to the ships that were damaged.” She reflected in somber tones. “Some of the telepaths survived and must be extracted from the machinery. In time maybe they can be helped.” She ended briskly, “Your people have enough to attend at home.”
“Is there any news at all?” responded Anna with stubborn persistence.
“Lennier is coming aboard this afternoon with the latest report from the local Rangers.” Delenn turned towards Anna. “It is a delicate matter,” she said soberly. “Earth is a sovereign government, which we, and the other League nations, recognize. We cannot invade their prisons, no matter how unfair we think their judgments.”
“You went in to get John out,” argued Anna.
“That excursion was not led by anyone in either the League or in EarthForce,” replied Delenn.
“Oh? What about Stephen Franklin? He's an EarthForce officer,” retorted Anna.
“I am not sure the EarthForce would claim him at this point,” said Delenn with an ironic smile. She crossed the room to sit beside Anna, and smoothed the hair away from her tense face. “Wait for Lennier. We will act soon if they do not do the right thing.”
Anna leaned into Delenn's caress and nodded slightly against her palm. “All right. But I want to be there to hear what Lennier has to say.”
“I will make sure you are called,” replied Delenn. “Now I must go. There are others I must speak with, about the new Alliance.”
That afternoon a Minbari crewman arrived at Delenn's quarters to fetch Anna to a small conference room just off of the command center. Lennier was already there, seated at a small round table. After Anna took her seat, Delenn swept into the room. She spoke even before she reached her chair, “Well, Lennier? What news from the surface?”
“Ambassador Sheridan has been moved from the facility in which he was being held. There are rumors that he will be released soon, but there are also rumors he is being held to ensure Captain Sheridan's good behavior. As an 'ace in the hole' was the expression used by the Mars Resistance leader to which I spoke.” As usual Lennier sat as stiff and straight as if he were a soldier on parade.
“Where is he now?” demanded Anna. “Don't they know he's an old man? He's not in the best of health. Are they getting him his medication?”
“I have no information on his condition,” relied Lennier, unbending a little in recognition of Anna's obvious distress. “It is said he is being treated well. Everyone is uncertain how things are going back on Earth, who will end up in power, and who will not. His jailers will be cautious, not wanting to end up on the wrong side.”
“Well, I have an answer to the question of who will have the power,” interjected Delenn, with a triumphant and almost giddy expression. “It is done, Lennier, Anna. The Alliance is no longer a dream, it is a fact.” She clutched a roll of paper in one hand, and stars blazed in her eyes.
“Congratulations,” said Anna warmly. “But there's no guarantee Earth will want to join.”
“We will make them an offer that will be difficult to refuse,” said Delenn with a determined smile. “But there is to be no force. This is to be an Alliance, not an Empire.” She turned to Lennier. “Does the Resistance know where the Ambassador has been moved?”
Lennier shook his head. “They have suspicions. There is a base between Burroughs City and Syria Planum, in the Red Desert. It was built on the site of some archeological excavations...”
Anna broke in, “I know that site! I worked on it for IPX at one point. There are tunnels underneath which we expanded. We dug down to see if there was any evidence of the original Mars civilization.” She paled and shuddered. “There was a bad vibe about the whole expedition. We were called off in the middle of it, and were almost glad of it.”
Delenn smiled. “Then you may be of some assistance to Mr. Garibaldi.”
“I want nothing to do with Mr. Garibaldi,” flashed back Anna, eyes burning. “What does he have to do with anything?”
“He is there, on Mars, and has been working with the Rangers to locate Ambassador Sheridan, among other things,” replied Delenn calmly. “And you can help him.” She put one hand on Anna's arm. “You have been wanting to help, and here is something you can do.” Turning to Lennier, she said, “Please see that Dr. Sheridan gets safely to the surface, and put her in touch with Mr. Garibaldi and his team.” Seeing that Anna was gearing up for more protest, she held up one hand. “Mr. Garibaldi has his own goals on Mars. He can introduce you to the Rangers and if they agree it can be done, you can show them these tunnels and help get John's father to safety.”
Anna sat quietly fuming. Delenn observed this and remarked. “John told me, and you, what happened to Michael. He was mistreated badly by Mr. Bester. You know what it is like to lose control of your own actions, your thoughts, your life. And Michael is a man who needs control, truly needs it, just to survive.”
Rising, she nodded to Lennier, then pressed Anna's hand. “Bring John's father home. It will mean a good deal to John if we can assure him of his father's safety.” She left the small room, still holding the signed treaties of her new Alliance.
Lennier sat silently after Delenn had left. He sighed heavily, and Anna watched him with surprise.
“Aren't you happy about the whole Alliance thing?” she said. “And when can we get started with this rescue mission?”
“I am to take you to the Rangers,” he said. “It is their decision whether there is to be a rescue.” He sighed again.
“Lennier, what is it?” Anna probed. “Has something happened?”
“Has Delenn told you of Marcus, and what he has done?” answered Lennier elliptically.
Anna looked down at the table, a sheaf of red hair framing her pale face. “She did. I'm glad Commander Ivanova is still with us, but what a price. He must have loved her very much.”
Lennier spoke, his words hesitant, almost forced out of him. “Did she tell you what Ivanova said?”
“No,” replied Anna, meeting his intense stare with one of her own.
“All love is unrequited,” said Lennier, somewhere between a plea and a challenge.
“Some is,” said Anna. “And some isn't.” She bit her lower lip, wondering how much further to take this awkward discussion. “Ivanova is probably speaking out of regret. Sometimes you build a vision of what might be, and when that vision is taken away,” she groped for the right words, the concepts that might bring comfort, “When the possible becomes impossible it's incredibly painful.”
“And when the impossible becomes possible?” asked Lennier. His eyes were burning with unasked questions.
“The trick is to tell the difference,” declared Anna firmly. She wasn't going to say much more, no matter how sorry she felt for Lennier's situation. Her own was precarious enough.
“Can you be ready to leave in one hour?” inquired Lennier. At Anna's fervent nod, he rose and bowed to her. “I will come by Delenn's quarters to fetch you then.” With another bow, he turned and left her alone with her thoughts.
Exactly one hour later Lennier was at her door and Anna followed him to the flyer bays toting her well-worn carryall. They both remained silent for the short drop to the planet's surface. They were met at the entry to the main terminal by a familiar face.
“Ms. Sullivan?” Jason Walker's face was deliberately bland. He took her carryall, nodded to Lennier and urged her toward the gate. A guard scanned her identicard without looking up at her face at all, and they were through. Lennier had vanished back to the docking bay. He was going back up to help Delenn with all that had to be done.
“It's nice to see you again,” ventured Anna as they walked down the sloping path to the mag-lev train platforms. “You must be glad to be back home for a while.”
“I am,” replied Jason. “Although things are pretty chaotic here right now. No one is sure who's in charge of things. Martial law is technically still in effect, but the soldiers are just following the last orders they got. Everything's in a holding pattern.”
Once they were settled in an empty car and speeding out into the desert, the train kicking up clouds of red dust that made it seem as if they were riding in a sunset, Anna got serious. “Do you trust Garibaldi?” she asked bluntly.
“Entil'zha trusts him,” replied Jason simply. “And so we do as well.”
“Oh, Delenn sees the good in everyone,” answered Anna impatiently. “I'd like your opinion.”
“Captain Sheridan would still be in prison without his help, and Earth might still be run by President Clark,” Jason observed mildly. “He's been through a lot, and frankly, betrayal of our cause is not the first thing on his mind.”
“What is the first thing on his mind?” asked Anna with some curiosity.
“A woman,” said Jason with a smile. His smile faded briefly, “She's important to him, and it's likely she's in some danger. We'll rendezvous with him first, but we'll be going after Ambassador Sheridan. Mr. Garibaldi will be going after his Lise.”
“Then why do I have to see him before we go get David?” asked Anna.
“That is what Entil'zha asked us to do. So that is what we will do.” Jason leaned his head back against the glass window. “I'm sure she has her reasons.”
He closed his eyes and Anna sighed heavily. Undoubtedly Delenn did have her reasons, and she would find then out soon enough.
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“What exactly are you doing here?”
Mr. Garibaldi's words came out like a staccato stoning. Anna felt the sting but ignored his efforts to shake her composure.
“I have no idea,” she said, shaking her hair back from her face. “I'm here to find David Sheridan. Can you help me with that?”
“I have no idea,” replied Garibaldi, with a wry smile. “I have my own search to get on with. I can put you in contact with the Resistance, but the Rangers could probably have done that for you.”
Jason, who was sitting off to one side observing the two, nodded. Anna shrugged. “It was Delenn's idea. Ask her.”
Garibaldi snorted loudly. “Like she'd ever admit to having an ulterior motive.”
That brought a genuine smile to Anna's lips. “She has her moments.” She examined Garibaldi, noting the sheen of perspiration on his forehead, the tightness around his mouth. “You're really worried about...Lise, was that her name?”
“Yeah,” replied Garibaldi. “I am.” He tilted his head and stared intently at Anna. “You don't trust me, do you?” Without waiting for her reply, he barreled on, “It's only fair. I don't...didn't...trust you either.”
“Do you trust me now?” asked Anna, finding herself somewhat curious, and a little anxious. She knew that the man in front of her was still important to John, and to Delenn. Though why she wasn't sure. The camaraderie of war, she supposed. She waited for her answer.
“Not sure,” said Garibaldi. “How about you?”
“John said it wasn't your fault, and Delenn agreed. They know you better than I do...” Anna stopped, then taking a deep breath, continued, “I felt the Shadow influence on you, before I left the station.”
“The theory seems to be that they captured my StarFury and turned me over to PsiCorps,” said Garibaldi, white lines appearing on either side of his down-turned mouth.
“I'm familiar with the concept,” replied Anna, her face grim. After a moment, she reached out and placed one hand on Garibaldi's arm, seeking to touch the humanity evident in the pain and guilt tightly wound around the man. “You made it right with John. He's not one to hold a grudge. He never has been.” Her mind flashed to the discomfort she'd felt when introduced to John's first wife. But neither Elizabeth nor John seemed to notice and she quickly found she liked the other woman. “And if it's all right with him, it's all right with me.”
“Gee thanks,” replied Garibaldi, but his sarcasm didn't quite ring true. “I suppose I can extend you the same courtesy.” He rose, his movements stiff, one hand unconsciously going to his back. “Let me introduce you to Number One. She kinda runs things around here these days.”
“Is she part of the old Mars governing council?” asked Anna. Then she slapped her hand against her forehead. “Oh, she's the one in charge of the Resistance. Delenn mentioned her.” She got up from her chair and followed Garibaldi to the door. Jason fell into step behind her.
Number One looked briefly at Anna, but her glance was merely a cutting dismissal. “Let her try if she wants. I have more important things to worry about.” When Anna began an angry protest, the intense younger woman held up one hand. “The old man is safe enough. They won't try anything now. He might be uncomfortable in his cell, but he'll be out soon enough. We have an uneasy truce with the military that still pack our streets. People aren't getting enough food, there are air and energy shortages, with areas in every dome shut down for a portion of every day.” She turned to Garibaldi, “I thought you had your own errand to run. What are you doing with her? And why her anyway?” She looked Anna up and down. “Does she have some special talent that's not apparent? Or does she have a personal reason for going after Sheridan?”
“She has a name, you know.” Anna's temper flared at the young woman's arrogance. “I'm Ann...”
“Ann Sullivan,” put in Jason helpfully. “She has local knowledge we thought might help us.”
Garibaldi put his hands in his pockets and shrugged expressively. “Delenn sent her along with Ranger boy here. I just wanted to make sure your people knew she and the Rangers would be poking around in the tunnels. We wouldn't want any unfortunate accidents.”
Number One nodded briskly. “Fine. I'll let the others know.” Addressing herself to Jason, she directed, “Marie will go with you to the perimeter. Stay out of our way, and don't bring PsiCorps down on us. They have a presence out that way, as I'm sure you know. We have our hands full with EarthForce right now.” Turning away from them, she began giving instructions to two men who had been waiting patiently for her attention.
Jason hurried Anna out into the rock-lined corridor. He held one finger to his lips and Anna followed, silent, until they reached a fork in the tunnel. Garibaldi turned, and held out his hand to Anna. She shook it, Garibaldi nodded to Jason, and then he was gone.
Anna turned to Jason, questions in her eyes. He raised one eyebrow. “You might want to hold off on announcing your identity. Even to allies.” He smiled crookedly at her. “Maybe especially to some allies.”
“You're right,” admitted Anna. “I want to hold on to Ann Sullivan, for a lot of reasons. That woman just got on my nerves.”
“She's been fighting a war, for a long time now. That changes you.”
Anna started, realizing suddenly that they had been joined by two more Rangers, a man and a woman who were walking behind them. She looked over her shoulder and said 'hello', receiving only silent nods in return. Jason was examining a hand-held geo-mapping device. He gestured for Anna to join him.
“Look at this. Are these the tunnels you were in before?”
Anna studied the map for a moment, tracing several paths with her forefinger. “This is the one we dug down to. Do you know where the prison is exactly?”
Jason pointed at a spot about two kilometers from the point at which they were standing. “Our latest intel shows it about here.” He pointed at the male Ranger, “Matthias has been doing some recon up above. And Nira, well Nira...is experienced with locks.” He looked slightly uncomfortable.
Nira smiled briefly at Anna. Anna smiled back, reminding herself a Ranger's past was none of her business, just like hers was none of theirs.
The guide that Number One had granted them took them as far as the Resistance held sway. Mars had a network of underground tunnels, mostly used for maintenance and storage. They had also served as emergency shelters during the early days of the colony, when the dust storms would scour the surface and the domes were still under construction.
What IPX had found interesting was that some of the tunnels pre-dated human occupation of the planet. There was still no real evidence of native sentient life on Mars, but it was possible there had been visitors in the distant past. Some of the caverns were natural formations in the rock, evidence of water at some point, but there were also indications of construction.
When they reached these older areas, the guide took up her post as forward watch. They left her behind and Jason pulled out the device that held the holo-map with the actual known tunnels and Anna's remembrance of where the expedition had dug further. Matt and Nira, the other two Rangers, had previously explored the outer perimeter of the structure above ground that served as David Sheridan's prison. Matt had gotten hired by a service that made daily deliveries to the prison, and had made friends with a couple of the guards. He had a good idea where Sheridan was being held, an area off limits to all but a few, and where PsiCops had been seen entering and leaving during the last several days.
Anna led them through areas marked with signs from her time there before. IPX used a coded system of tiles, temporarily bonded to the walls or floors. It was meant to not mar the surface of what might prove to be a historically important site, but still to provide direction and labeling. The Rangers could have found their way eventually but Anna's knowledge cut some hours off that time.
The Rangers walked in silence, holding small glow-lights. It was an oppressive atmosphere, although there was air being pumped in from somewhere, indicating that the tunnels were in use. It was thin dusty air but enough to breathe. When they found a sign they would signal Anna to come read it, and let them know which way to turn next. During one long trek down a straight passage, Anna suddenly felt dizzy. Her neck burned and her heart began to pound. It was Shadow presence, and strong, strong enough to be felt without a human vector. It seemed to be embedded in the very walls, sending pulses of darkness into the dimly lit corridor. Her pace slowed as her vision began to blur and narrow. Finally she stumbled, and felt Jason take her arm and hold her upright.
“What's wrong?” he whispered in concern. “Not claustrophobic, are you?”
“They were here,” Anna said urgently, through teeth clenched against the waves of pain that emanated from the back of her neck. “The Shadows were here!”
She felt rather than saw the exchange of glances. Jason reassured her, “Well, they're not here any more. Do you want to go back?”
“No, I can make it,” she said. Nira was shining her light on a square plaque mounted at a branching passage. Anna made herself walk over to it and peer at the marks. “It says there's a large open cavern down this way. It's the right direction, and there's an exit to the surface in the center.”
When they reached the open area, Matt checked the surface map and found they were directly under a large warehouse, just next to the area where they believed Sheridan was housed. The cavern was obviously being used as overflow storage, a few boxes and crates were stacked against one wall. The Rangers doused the lights, and Jason stayed closed to Anna while Matt and Nira circled the area, listening for any sounds of occupancy. No one was there. Playing their lights along the ceiling, they soon found the IPX borehole. It had a ladder affixed to one side. The long narrow passageway was closed at the top by a metal grate.
“You wait here,” said Jason firmly to Anna, who had been examining the lower rungs of the ladder, tugging at the metal rail just above her head to see how strong it was.
“I'm going with you,” declared Anna, her eyes on the metal grate, wondering how they planned to open it. There seemed to be an electronic lock, a tiny red light blinking down the length of the hole. The reconnaissance had revealed a large door at the far end of the cavern. That must be how the supplies came and went, but it was probably guarded. This other passage was just closed off, probably for security reasons.
“Both Entil'zha and Captain Sheridan have made it clear that you are to be protected,” explained Jason. “It is risky enough to have you along on this mission. You will wait here.” He handed her a small tracking device. “I recorded our path to this place. Follow the signal, it will lead you back to where we left the guide. She has instructions to get you to safety if you return alone.”
Anna began to protest, but the other two Rangers had swung up into the passage and were rapidly climbing. Jason held one finger against his lips, and jumped to catch the lower rung of the ladder. He was quickly enveloped in shadows, and the last of the tiny lights was extinguished. Anna held a light cupped in one hand to reduce the revealing glow and the tracking device in the other. She was alone with her fears and the darkness.
Minutes ticked by, ten, then twenty, then thirty. Anna sat down on the floor, cross-legged with the light in front of her like a feeble campfire. She practiced Minbari verb conjugations, tried to remember more about her last time on Mars, and mentally wrote the beginnings of her next paper on the origins of inter-species cooperatives. Finally she heard sounds overhead, the shuffling tread of soft boots on metal steps.
Jason and Nira came down first, and Matt followed with a shaky David Sheridan in tow. Anna got up from her seat on the cold stone floor of the tunnel and hurried over. David seemed to swallow an exclamation of surprise and instead leaned on the arm she offered him. They followed after the lead Rangers, with Matt bringing up the rear. He was scanning to each side and behind them, keeping an eye out for pursuit. But no one followed them.
When they reached the older part of the tunnels, Anna shook her head to stop the buzzing heat that again gathered at the base of her neck. David peered at her with concern, but she merely smiled and continued walking. When they reached the area patrolled by the Resistance, with no signs of anyone attempting to chase them, they finally slowed down.
“They wanted us to escape,” said Jason. He rounded the corner, returning with a collapsible chair which he placed in front of the older man. David looked at Anna, who shook her head decisively, and he gratefully took the seat. Jason smiled, “The Resistance guard can stand when she gets back from her patrol.” He looked down at David. “They must think you're better off their hands.”
“Where did you come from?” asked David. He looked to be in shock, and stared at them all, though his gaze kept returning to Anna. “How did you know where I was?”
“Delenn sent us to bring you home,” said Anna. She knelt beside David, looking at him closely, worried at his pallor and rapid breathing.
“The Minbari ambassador sent you to get me,” David said, incredulous. Then, a tic appearing at the corner of his mouth, he demanded, “Where's John?”
“He's on Earth. President Luchenko has John under house arrest. No one's sure which way she's going to jump in this situation.” Anna's air of confidence shone through her next words. “She'll come around eventually. John will be fine. Everything's going to be fine.”
David looked skeptical, but nodded. He patted Anna's arm. Then he slowly rose to his feet. “Even if they've decided to let me go, let's not give them a chance to change their mind.”
With the help of the Resistance they made their way underground to an exit near the spaceport. Matt and Nira faded away into the dark tunnels separately, long before they reached their destination. Jason took off his Ranger cape, draping it over David's shoulders and pulling the hood up to partially obscure his face. Anna put one arm around David and he leaned heavily on her, as if he needed her assistance to walk. Jason pulled on a round cap and wound a scarf around his neck. He held the door open for the other two. He strode down the half-empty corridor leading to the private docking bays. No one stopped them as they had entered beyond the main Security gate. They were aboard in a flash, and Jason quickly prepped the flyer for take-off. Their flight plan had been filed in advance, with only the time of departure left vacant. Anna took David to a seat in the rear and once he was settled, sank into a seat opposite him.
“Whew,” she said, blowing her hair away from her face. David had taken off Jason's cloak, folded it carefully and placed it on the seat next to him. “I'll be glad when we're back on the ship.”
“You still haven't explained why we're going to a Minbari ship in the first place. I've heard some scuttlebutt from the guards, about the war, and what happened to President Clark, but I want the whole story.” David settled back in his seat, his large veined hands gripping the arms of the chair.
Anna sighed and gave him the condensed version. David shook his head as Anna described the role of the captive telepaths in the taking down of Lefcourt's armada. His expression grew grave as she told of President's Clark's attempt to turn the defenses on Earth on itself. Anna's voice shook as she described the near immolation of the Agamemnon.
David took her hands between his own. “But he's all right. You said so yourself.” He examined her closely and said, “Now tell me about the Minbari ambassador.”
Anna sputtered a bit as she said weakly, “What about her?”
David said carefully, “I watched that documentary with you. John and this woman, they were so careful not to look at each other. Too careful. There's something between them, isn't there? Something more than a military alliance?”
“I was gone, Pops. John thought I was dead.” Anna spoke softly, as if reciting a story. “It was three years, and he waited, and he mourned me, and eventually he moved on. Delenn is wonderful, she was my first friend when I returned. She believed in me even before John did.”
David nodded his understanding. “It's an old story, and usually a sad one. People go missing during times of war and conflict, then re-surface long after everyone has stopped looking for them.” He patted her hand. “But not stopped missing them. Poor Anna, and poor Delenn. How are you dealing with it?”
“I'm okay,” replied Anna. “More than okay.” She leaned forward and said earnestly, “I have something to tell you. Something we have planned.”
David showed alarm, concern, and finally a sneaking admiration as Anna outlined what she and Delenn had in mind. When she finished, he patted her hand. “I don't know if it'll work Anna, but if it will make you happy, you should try for it. But, oh my,” he added, “Poor John.”