Schedule delta wing for maintenance at 1400
and make sure conference room 7
is properly laid out for the Tikar delegation.
6 yawood chairs placed precisely
1 meter apart in a star pattern
with the heloc on the center chair.
Very good.
[Beep beep]
Sheridan.
Woman: Captain, there's a problem
in the Ambassadorial section.
They're asking for a command officer.
I'll handle it.
Help is on the way.
Ah, it's good to be the Captain.
Ha ha ha ha.
Isogi-San.
Talia, it's been too long.
And what did you think of my new Mars proposal?
It's like all your proposals--
too progressive, too risky,
and too costly in the short run.
But if you can make it happen...
I must make it happen.
Future corp. Has to expand beyond Earth,
and Mars is the first step.
The senate won't like it,
and the Mars conglomerate will try to bury you.
We're prepared for that. Now we need only
to convince Mars to share the risk.
And if they won't?
Then the path to freedom
may well be drenched with innocent blood,
and a long-held dream of mine will die.
Mr. Isogi?
Amanda Carter,
Mars colony business affairs committee.
Miss Carter, miss Talia Winters,
one of the finest commercial telepaths
I've ever worked with.
She will be monitoring
our negotiations for future corp.
Ms. Winters.
Please.
I read your proposal, Mr. Isogi,
and frankly,
you're either insane or a very brave man.
I can well imagine that's what they said
of your great-grandfather John
when he volunteered
to pilot the first colony ship to Mars.
So they did.
Let's talk.
Please.
We'll begin by focusing
more on the needs of our own people,
to move on to create the world...
[Beep beep]
13.
Computer: All components have arrived safely
on Babylon 5.
Control is prepared to go on-line.
Commence operation.
Captain Sheridan: The Babylon project
was our last best hope for peace--
a self-contained world 5 miles long
located in neutral territory...
A place of commerce and diplomacy
for a 1/4 million humans and aliens,
a shining beacon in space, all alone in the night.
It was the dawn of the third age of mankind,
the year the great war came upon us all.
This is the story
of the last of the Babylon stations.
The year is 2259.
The name of the place is...
Captioning made possible by Warner Bros.
Sheridan.
Man: Captain, you have a transmission
from senator voudreau.
Patch her through.
Captain Sheridan.
Senator, what can I do for you?
Taro Isogi,
chief executive of future corp.,
has arranged a meeting on Babylon 5
with Amanda Carter,
a representative
of the Mars provisional government.
Carter is an outspoken advocate
of Mars independence.
And we suspect future corp. Is conspiring with her
to finance another rebellion
on Mars colony.
Do you have any proof?
We know future corp. Desperately wants
a foothold in space.
An exclusive trade and services agreement with Mars
would give it to them if they could move
the current Mars conglomerate out.
Many of the members wanted to pull out
after the last rebellion.
Another would have them running like river rats.
I understand your concern,
but there's not much I can do about it.
I have no authority over corporate negotiations.
Babylon 5 is neutral territory.
Any race can negotiate here without interference,
even our own.
This is a possible threat
to Earth Alliance security, Captain,
and as such,
we're asking you to check it out.
Nothing official.
Just keep an eye peeled and an ear open
and report anything of interest to me.
With all due respect, senator,
my duties as Commander of b-5
don't include spying on civilians.
These are volatile times, Captain.
Practicality is more important
than principles
if lives are to be saved.
I'll expect to hear from you soon.
[Beep beep]
Yes?
Ivanova: Captain, the Tikar delegation is docking.
I'll meet them in the conference room
immediately.
Mars has resources the alien worlds need.
Now, they in turn can supply an economic base
which will enable the colony
to become self-sufficient
within 10 years.
You can win your independence
without bloodshed.
It will be a hard sell with the committee.
They'll need concrete assurances
from the alien worlds.
Not entirely true. You're pretty sure
the committee will accept your recommendation,
and you're the one who needs the assurance.
Yes, I do, Ms. Winters.
Mars is being ripped apart at the seams right now.
And before I bargain with its future,
I need to know exactly what's expected of us.
Naturally. That's one of the reasons
why I suggested Babylon 5
for this meeting.
All our prospective partners
have representatives here.
We can iron out all the details
to your government's satisfaction.
You actually believe you can make this work?
No.
I believe we can try.
I'll speak with the business affairs committee.
I think I can have an answer for you by tomorrow afternoon.
Very good.
She likes the idea. She has her doubts,
but basically, she likes it.
And you? Now that you've heard the details
of my little plan,
do you also have your doubts?
Frankly, yes.
The financial risk is bad enough,
but the legal maneuvering will be even--
I want to hear them...
Over dinner.
I'd love to.
Hello, Commander.
May I?
Please.
How did the conference go?
Oh, very well. Very well.
Your seating arrangement was flawless.
The tier corval himself complimented it.
I think we'll be seeing
the Tikar on Babylon 5 soon.
I'm pleased. They're an interesting people.
And I believe you were the one
who made first contact with them?
Yes. The agamemnon was in an unexplored sector
beyond the St. Andre nebula
when we cited this green cloud
floating in space,
only it wasn't a cloud at all.
It was a ship.
We hailed it, but got no response.
We moved toward it. It moved away.
We kept that up for hours,
until finally they responded.
It took our linguistics division
a whole day to get even close
to deciphering their language.
They'd already deciphered ours,
but neglected to tell us so.
[Both laugh]
Oh.
Oh, a jovian sunspot.
Ahh.
You're indulging.
I earned it, and I'm off-duty.
Please, continue.
Well,
we finally broke the language barrier
and introduced ourselves.
And I was invited aboard their ship.
Oh, it was incredible.
I'd never seen so much space on a starship,
and the Tikar themselves are so unlike
any other alien species we'd encountered.
I spent 2 days with them,
and what I learned in that time
made me realize just how wondrous
this galaxy of ours really is.
Talia: I've never seen you
so excited about a deal before.
Well, it's not just a deal, Talia.
It's a step into the future.
Mars can be the beginning
of a whole new life for the human species,
as it was meant to be.
Free Mars.
Aah!
No!
Taro!
Unh!
[Gasps]
Taro.
[Sobs] Taro.
So you have no idea
what the images you got from the killer meant.
No. It was all too quick,
just a--a blur of light and sound,
and then the blackness.
All he said was "free Mars"?
Yes, but my first assignment
was Mars colony.
I scanned several free-Mars people
during that time.
They're violent fanatics
with a murderous hatred of Earth Alliance,
but this man was different.
There was no thought of a cause in his head,
no anger, no... No emotion of any kind,
just those images.
So what reason would free-Mars have
for killing your client?
None.
Taro's proposal was a peaceful solution
to the Mars problem.
Well, Earth Central feels differently.
They believe he was going to back
another rebellion on Mars.
Taro hated the violence on Mars.
He never would have done such a thing.
Someone's been lying to you, Captain.
Or to you.
I'm a telepath.
Telepaths are human beings.
You were an old friend of Isogi's.
You trusted him.
With good reason.
Taro Isogi spent his life
improving the lives of others.
He built a business based on that principle,
and he never broke a rule
or harmed another to do it.
Mars was his dream, Captain.
Now he's been murdered for it,
and you're trying to cast the blame on him.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, too.
I'm also tired, and I hurt.
May I go back to my quarters now?
Yes. I'll arrange for an escort.
One escort at your service.
This really isn't necessary.
Captain's orders.
He's worried about you,
and so am I.
Besides, this gives us a chance
to get to know each other better.
I've led a fascinating life.
Mr. Garibaldi,
Taro Isogi was like a father to me.
I loved him as a client and as a mentor
and as a friend,
and now he's dead.
You'll forgive me if I'm not in the mood
for your usual badinage.
You're right.
It's a bad time for you.
I'm being a yutz.
Apology accepted.
Could you at least tell me
what "badinage" means?
Ha ha ha ha.
Well, my pop always said
that laughter's better than pills
for what ails you.
He was right.
[Door slides open]
We'll get the creep who did this. I promise.
That won't bring Taro back
or his dreams for Mars colony.
No, but it will save someone else
from getting killed.
[Beep]
Computer: Command?
Code, Alpha-6-6-zeta-3.
Unable to respond.
Code not recogni--
[different voice] Code acknowledged.
Report.
Phase one complete.
Download all mission data,
then erase source file.
Talia:Taro!
[Groaning]
Computer: Witness I.D.: Talia Winters.
Resident commercial telepath.
Rating, p-5.
Stand by.
Control states
miss Winters could jeopardize mission.
Eliminate her,
then continue with phase 2.
Understood.
Search mode.
[Computer beeps]
Location of Talia Winters.
I want you to hold all outgoing traffic
until further notice.
There's been a murder,
and I don't want the killer jumping station.
Do you know who it is?
Not yet, but we do have an eyewitness--
Talia Winters.
Was she hurt?
Fortunately not.
I think the killer wanted a witness.
Tel me, what do you think of her?
Ms. Winters?
I think she's an interesting person.
You never describe anybody that way.
Well, I don't really know her that well.
I mean, we've chatted from time to time,
and she's interesting.
You know how I feel about telepaths.
Do I ever.
You threw one
out of a third story window on io.
There was an ample pool below the window.
I'll assume you knew that.
Aside from Ms. Winters' interesting quality,
do you think she can be trusted?
Yes, except...
She's very loyal to Psi-Corps.
And you don't trust Psi-Corps?
No. Do you?
Telepaths are gifted and cursed
in ways I can never hope to understand,
but they're still human beings,
good, bad, or indifferent.
No.
I trust in individuals,
not organizations.
Then you may trust Ms. Winters.
[Doorbell rings]
Come in.
Ms. Carter.
I'm Captain John Sheridan,
Commander of Babylon 5.
I'd like to ask you a few questions
about your meeting with Taro Isogi.
I'm afraid I must decline, Captain.
Private negotiations
are not subject to Earthforce scrutiny.
In this case, they are.
Mr. Isogi was murdered last night.
What? Who could have--
according to an eyewitness,
the killer said, "free Mars."
Free Mars?
Yes.
No. That can't be.
There's no way
they could have known about this meeting.
And even if they did,
they had nothing to gain by killing Mr. Isogi.
Taro was working to achieve a peaceful compromise
that would ensure the colony's independence
without bloodshed.
Somebody obviously didn't like it.
Damn them.
Any idea who they might be?
The senate.
Mars conglomerate.
They'd be the most opposed.
I never thought they'd go this far.
Thank you for your time, Ms. Carter.
I may have some additional questions
for you later.
I'll be glad to help.
Whoever killed Taro Isogi
killed Mars' best hope for the future.
What have you come up with?
Forensics said Isogi's body was hit
with a massive electrical charge,
disrupted every cell in his body.
There are scorch marks on his throat
that show the outline of fingers,
but no prints or striations of any kind.
A slaver's glove?
Nah. They pack a jolt,
but not enough to do this much damage.
This is high-tech
and definitely not standard free Mars issue.
My guess is some sort of prosthetic weaponry.
What I can't figure
is how he got it on the station.
A power source that would generate
that big a charge
should show up on scanners.
Maybe he had some special help.
You want to explain that?
Not till we have more to go on.
Keep an escort on Ms. Winters
and intensify the search.
Include Earth gov. And corp. Secure areas.
Will do.
Captain...
I'd sure like to know where you're going with this.
Someplace very dark.
I hope to God I'm wrong.
Hey, Earther!
Aah!
Free Mars.
No.
Help!
Help me, somebody!
What have they done to me?
Ow! Uh!
Uh.
Talia: The images in his mind were the same as before,
except this time I saw an Earth Alliance ship--
a big one-- a cruiser, I think.
It was firing at him,
and I know this sounds crazy,
but it hit him, and he died.
Died?
It was as if he were reliving
the thought of his death over and over again,
clinging to it
as if it were the only thought he had.
Captain, we got an I.D. On our perp.
I checked the DNA in the hair
that Ms. Winters pulled out of his head.
It's positive. Take a look.
Talia: That's him.
He's free Mars, all right.
One of their leaders in fact.
Name's Abel Horn.
Abel Horn?
Do you know him?
In a way.
My wife Anna and I
had some very special friends on Mars.
They worked at ritchie station.
They were there when free Mars blew it.
Abel Horn claimed responsibility for it.
I want him, Mr. Garibaldi.
So do I, but there's a problem.
According to Earthforce intelligence, Abel Horn is dead.
A cruiser scragged his ship over Phobos
during the rebellion.
Oh, my God.
Is that what you saw in his mind?
Yes.
Would someone tell me
what the hell we're talking about...Sir?
Later.
Right now, I want her in protective custody
and a fugitive alert posted on Horn.
Done. Ms. Winters?
Amanda.
It's been a long time.
I thought you were dead.
Damn near.
Earthers blew me up over Phobos.
Your old buddy Singer found me,
got me out.
A snakehead doc fixed me up.
I've been hiding
in the Tigress sector ever since.
Then I got word you were coming here.
Why did you kill Taro Isogi?
Who?
The man I came here to meet.
They say you killed him.
There's a fugitive alert out for you.
They're lying.
I haven't killed anyone.
I came here to see you.
I have to get back to Mars,
and you're the only one who can help me.
I can't do that, Abel.
I am finally in a position
to help with Mars' independence.
If anyone found out
I was once a member of free Mars--
which just might come out,
if they were to catch me here.
You came here to blackmail me
into smuggling you back to Mars?
That was never your style, Abel.
I've changed.
Aah!
Abel, what's wrong?
Aah!
Abel!
Amanda, please, you have to help me.
Help me!
They did something t-to me.
The tel-telepath knows--
Talia Winters. Aah!
Abel!
Saw it in my head.
Have to--have to-- have to find her.
Lose--lose--losing control.
Stop! Stop!
There's only one way in here,
and I have a full detail on it.
It would take an army to get to you.
If you need to go somewhere,
call the guard post
and they'll assign an escort.
Try to relax and enjoy yourself.
We'll take care of this guy.
Mr. Garibaldi,
I was just going to make a cup of tea
to soothe my nerves.
Would you like one?
Well, since I am chief of security,
I guess seeing you're secure is my job,
and tea just happens to be
my third favorite thing in the universe.
I needed this yesterday.
Commander, the Captain of the Matheson
is demanding an update on his departure.
Tell him to go away.
Tell them all to go away.
How's it going?
We've had 20 complaints, 6 formal protests,
and one outright threat, all in the last hour.
The natives are very restless.
Start moving them out.
What about the murderer?
I don't think he's trying to leave yet,
but have every ship searched.
I'll be in my quarters.
There's something I want to check out.
So then my pop says to the guy,
"50 credits for a salami?
I could've killed you for 20."
Your father was quite a character.
He was the best.
He cooked like an angel, swore like the devil,
and taught me everything I know about security.
The old man could spot a crook
a sector away,
and he was still hauling them in at 75.
Then he got torque syndrome
and just kind of faded away.
I sure miss him.
I never really knew my father
or my mother.
I was raised by Psi-Corps from the time I was 5.
Of course, there was Abby.
Abby?
She was my support
during my first year at the center.
When telepaths first come,
they're assigned a senior telepath
to guide them through the early stages of the program.
The first day, I was crying all the time.
I was scared and confused and hurting,
and then Abby came.
She held me for a very long time,
never saying a word.
I didn't know it then, but she was scanning me
ever so gently,
and little by little,
the pain and fear and confusion melted,
and all that was left
was this warm, safe place in my mind.
It was wonderful,
but the next year,
Abby was assigned to another newcomer.
[Beep beep]
Garibaldi.
Sheridan: Mr. Garibaldi,
please report to my quarters.
On my way.
Sorry.
Mr. Garibaldi.
Thank you.
My pleasure, Ms. Winters.
[Doorbell rings]
Come.
Mr. Garibaldi, take a look at this.
"Project Lazarus." Never heard of it.
It was part of Earthforce's cyber experiments
back in the late thirties.
Most of the cyber experiments were a bust.
Humans couldn't function
with machines in their brains.
Correct. That's why they came up with the idea
of using subjects on the verge of death--
accident victims, wounded soldiers,
people in comas.
You're kidding?
That's grotesque.
It gets even better.
The theory was to hardwire the subject's brain
with a computer intelligence.
It kept the brain functional
while the body was repaired,
then using telepathic deep scan,
the subject was fixated
on the moment of his death,
shutting down all conscious thought.
The computer takes complete control
while the subject is dying
over and over again in his subconscious.
Ms. Winters said that Horn was clinging
to the thought of his death,
as if it were the only thought he had.
Whoa, hold on. Are you saying
Horn is one of these cyber zombies?
I'm saying he might be.
His body could've been recovered after the blast.
Or intelligence was wrong again,
and Horn was never in the ship
that was blasted.
Well, that's the simple explanation.
And ordinarily, I'd accept it,
but this isn't a simple thing.
A known free Mars terrorist
kills a man in front of a witness
and leaves her alive.
Later he kills another man to get to that witness
and again leaves her alive. Why?
Maybe he's squeamish about killing women.
Or maybe Talia Winters touched something in him,
something that made Horn realize
who he really was for a moment,
and I think it's playing havoc
with his programming.
You almost have me believing this load.
I'm not sure I believe it myself,
but if it's true,
there should be a way to locate him.
Computer: Command?
I'd like to make a transmission
to miss Talia Winters.
Computer: Working.
Amanda: So you'll meet with me?
Yes. In a half hour?
I'll look forward to it.
Amanda, I knew you'd help me.
Abel, all I did was--
aah!
Well, this is a long shot.
My information on Lazarus is 20 years old,
but according to the files,
the computer power crystal
emits a low level of a benign radiation.
It wouldn't ordinarily show up
on the environmental scanners,
but if we could reconfigure them
to look for it...
[Beep beep]
Garibaldi.
Chief, Zack Allan.
Ms. Winters is requesting an escort
for a business meeting in red 7.
With who?
Amanda Carter.
That's a go, Zack. Come through red Alpha.
I'll join you at point 6.
[Groan]
This is trickier than I thought.
The element is definitely out of date.
Why not let the wizard have a go?
Now... All we have to do
is cross-reference with the medlab files,
find the updated element number,
log that with e-systems
and voilà!
It's trickier than you thought.
Thanks.
Mr. Wizard.
Miss Winters, it's not a good idea
to be roaming around the station.
I'm hardly roaming.
No, I guess not,
so what's up?
Amanda Carter wants to pursue Taro's plan.
I don't know if I can convince
future corp. To go along,
but if I could,
it would be like a memorial for Taro.
Well, they can kill a good man,
but not a good idea.
Take your time.
We'll be right here.
Hello?
Ms. Carter.
Ms. Carter?
Make one sound, and I'll kill you.
That should do it.
Computer, begin scan.
Computer: Commencing.
What am I?
Tell me!
I don't understand.
You're a mind bender.
You saw it in my head.
Tell me what it means!
Tell me!
Pain.
Yes, pain!
Tell me.
Tell me, please?
Please?
Ours now.
All ours.
You were dying.
They operated on you,
rebuilt you.
Scanned you.
There was a psi-cop.
Computer: Scan complete.
Low-level iranium radiation detected.
Red 7.
Suite 15.
Suite 15?
Amanda Carter.
Garibaldi.
Captain.
Where's Ms. Winters?
Meeting with Ms. Carter in her quarters.
Our perp's inside.
Get him, but get him alive.
I'm on my way!
Damn, our perp's inside. Jackson, left side.
Anson, right. Watch out for Talia.
Remember, this guy kills by touch.
Zack, let's get the door.
Ready?
Go!
Freeze!
I'll fry her. I swear it!
End of the road, pal. There's nowhere to go.
Come on, think about it.
Can't think.
Aah! Uh!
When I think--
ok. Ok.
Take it easy.
Drop the guns.
Back off!
Do it!
Do it.
You hurt that lady,
and I'll see it takes you 10 days to die.
I'm already dead, Mr. Security man.
No, you aren't, Horn!
Now just listen to me.
They are using you to betray your own world.
How do you know this?
You know it, too, Abel.
You can feel the machine crawling in your brain.
Get out of my way!
Sheridan: Let us help you. That's all we want to do.
You let her go,
and we'll help you.
You've died too many times, Abel.
There's no need to die again.
Good.
Now put the weapon down.
It was the Earthers, wasn't it?
It was--wasn't enough just to kill me.
We'll find out who it was together.
Just put the gun down.
Mars will never be free
until the sands run red with Earther blood.
Aah!
Uh!
Thanks for ending it, Earther.
Damn it!
[Instrument hums]
Captain, I'm reading a dangerous energy surge
from the body.
Get her out of here.
Come on. Everybody out.
Come on! Go! Now!
Aah!
No trace.
No evidence.
I'm very sorry, Ms. Winters.
Abel said you knew what was wrong with him.
I was worried about him.
I--i never thought he would try to harm you.
And how does a Mars government rep
know so much about a free Mars terrorist?
Abel Horn wasn't always a terrorist.
15 years ago, he was a bright young man,
utterly devoted to independence for Mars colony.
That's when I met him
and fell in love with him.
He convinced me to join free Mars.
It wasn't a radical group at the time.
Later, when they began to become violent,
I left them.
I never saw Abel again until today.
Oh, tell me another one.
You can have Ms. Winters scan me
if you think I'm lying.
Besides, I've already said enough to ruin my career.
If we report it.
Are you proposing a deal, Captain?
You said Taro Isogi's plan was the best hope for Mars.
Did you mean that?
Yes.
Then continue to negotiate with future corp.
Make that happen.
I doubt they'd be interested after what happened here.
I'll be glad to speak to them for you.
I'll make it clear that your government
had nothing to do with the murder.
I'm sure they'll consider going ahead.
Why?
To make sure Taro Isogi's dream
becomes a reality
and to keep you
where you can do the most good.
Thank you.
We'll talk later.
Captain, begging your pardon,
but have you gone space happy?
That woman is an accessory
to murder and attempted murder.
Horn wasn't trying to kill me.
He wanted me to scan him.
There was something in his mind
controlling him.
Something he wanted me to find.
And did you?
I saw an image,
some sort of an operation.
Well, did you recognize anything--
a location, a face, uniform?
No.
Take Ms. Winters to her quarters.
I'll help Ivanova move the traffic out.
Captain.
Mr. Garibaldi.
Is there something?
There's a whole list.
But let's start with how you knew
about the Lazarus project.
Some people collect coins or art.
I collect secrets, black projects,
conspiracies, secret organizations.
They fascinate me.
Does one of those secrets
include who was behind this thing?
It's better you don't ask that.
Look, Captain, I know you don't trust me
the way Jeff used to,
but if there's a threat to this station--
the threat goes far beyond Babylon 5,
Mr. Garibaldi.
I'm not surprised.
If Horn was what you say he was,
then this thing sure as hell has nothing to do
with free Mars.
To pull something like this off
would take a lot of power and a lot of money,
and I think you know who it is.
All right, but promise me this information
will never be repeated outside this room.
You got it.
For the past six years, there have been rumors
about a rogue agency
operating deep inside Earth gov.,
a dirty tricks squad,
dealing in black projects and star chamber justice.
It took me over three years just to get a name.
Bureau 13,
and the man who gave me that name died soon after.
I am convinced they exist
and that they are behind this incident.
Why?
Isogi was a danger to Earth policy on Mars.
I think his death
was a warning to the other corporations.
I also think Horn was meant
to destroy free Mars from the inside
and possibly ruin Amanda Carter as well.
Unfortunately, I can't prove any of it.
If this is true--
then everything we believe in is in jeopardy.
There is a spider in the web, Mr. Garibaldi.
And I intend to find it and kill it.
13.
Male voice: Report from Babylon 5 control mission
only partly successful.
Isogi terminated, but unit was destroyed
before he could leave station for Mars.
Is the bureau at hazard?
Control does not believe so.
Belief is not enough.
He is to follow up until he is certain.
13 out.
Computer: Scanning files from listed data.
All ours.
Computer: Match found.
Captioning made possible by Warner Bros.
Captioned by the national captioning institute --www.Ncicap.Org--