---------------------------------------------------------------
Hopeless, Shapeless, Dreamless, Nameless (5/10)
by Meredith Bronwen Mallory
mallorys-girl@cinci.rr.com
---------------------------------------------------------------

    "John, I protest the way this woman is being treated," Delenn began in
the tone that clearly said she would NOT be defied. The meeting at started
only a few moments ago, and the woman in question was the oh-so mysterious
Erika Browning. The President's wife paused for a moment to meet the gaze of
all who where present. Captain Susan Ivanova, Michael Garibaldi, Zak Allen,
Jaylen Kyle, and of course, Delenn's own husband. "She is a Ranger, she does
not deserve this."
"Delenn, she was in Susan's quarters, at five in the morning, dressed as a
Psi Cop, and frankly that makes me a little concerned!" John argued.
"She was on an undercover assignment in the Corps," Jaylen interjected,
earning a few dark glances.
"Michael, did you run that background check?" John asked.
"Yeah," Michael said, leaning back nonchalantly, "she's a Ranger all right.
Born on Mars, joined the Rangers during the Shadow War. Everything in her
records suggests that she's telling the truth."
"Then why is she being held like this!?" Jaylen asked, looking at her
superior. Susan Ivanova had been silent through the whole meeting, as if her
body was walking around but her mind was elsewhere. Jaylen had never seen
the normally collected Captain like this. Frankly, it had her very worried.
"She said she had to tell me something about Marcus," Susan remarked
absently into the silence that had fallen. All eyes focused on her for a
moment, then Zak intervened.
"I'd like to keep her in lock up for a little while longer, just for
questioning," the Security Chief informed them.
"Very well," Delenn said, but she obviously wasn't happy about it.

--------

    Erika was stretched out on the long bench that, other then the small
table and chair, was the only piece of furniture in the room. Her eyes were
closed, her hair spread about in soft, short curls around her face, and her
hands lay limp at her sides. She looked so peaceful that Michael was almost
loathe to wake her. He shook her shoulder.
"Ms. Browning," her eyes flew open and she sat up immediately.
"Yes?" she asked, smoothing down the Psi Cops uniform. Michael noticed that
she'd tossed the pin to the other side of the cell. Her cocoa brown eyes
looked at him over her pert nose, expectantly.
"Ms. Browning," the previously silent Zak Allen remarked, "we're here to ask
you a few questions before we let you go."
"Very well, then," Erika said dryly, "I have to see the Entil 'Zha, since
the Captain's welcome was not at all beneficiary."
"Okay," Zak said, taking a seat at the table, as Michael moved to stand near
by, "Why were you in Captain Ivanova's quarters?"
"I had urgent news I thought she needed to know," Erika replied with a bored
air, studying her nails.
"And this urgent news was...?"
"I told you, I-can't-tell-you-that. It's for the Entil 'Zha or Captain
Ivanova ONLY. Don't you speak the King's English?" the Ranger asked
irritably.
"What were you doing dressed as Psi Cop?" Zak asked, pointedly ignoring
Erika's  previous response.
"I was working undercover in the Psi Corps. The President and Entil 'Zha
suspect they're up to something and I was chosen to investigate," Erika
spoke slowly and clearly, as though she suspected Zak might be retarded.
"Why were you chosen?" Michael put in. Erika looked him straight in the eye
and replied very carefully;
"Because I am a P12," Michael visibly stiffened, but let it pass, "Are we
done yet?" the Ranger asked, sounding like an impatient child in the back
seat of a car.
"All right, Ms. Browning," Zak said, "You can leave, just don't get into any
trouble."
"Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that, Mr. Allen," Erika
replied, "I am trouble."

---------

    She arrived at the Entil 'Zha's office huffing and puffing, having ran
all the way from holding to Blue 3. Erika entered the office and stopped
dead. Seated at the desk she saw not only the Entil 'Zha, but the Captain as
well.
"Ranger Browning, I am glad to see that you are well," Delenn remarked.
"As I am to see you in such good health, Entil 'Zha," Erika bowed. The Entil
'Zha inclined her head and gestured for Erika to take a seat. Briefly
nodding to the Captain, Delenn started right in.
"I believe you have some information for us?" she asked.
"Yes, Ma'am, I do," Erika began, "My assignment was to infiltrate the Corps
and find out whether or not they were gathering their forces. I discovered
that, yes, they are. But I also discovered something else..." Just then,
Ivanova's link bleeped. The Captain shrugged apologetically and answered it.
"Ivanova, go."
"Ma'am, there's some one here to see you. She says it's urgent," the voice
of Jaylen came through.

"Well, who is it?" Susan asked impatiently.
"Says her name is Carolyn Saunderson," Jaylen replied. Susan looked up at
Delenn, but the human/Minbari woman seemed not to suspect anything was
amiss. Some how, Susan recognized that name, but she couldn't remember where
from. Then, it hit her.
"All right, Jay, send her in," Susan said. Quickly, she tapped her link
again.
"Franklin here, yes?" the disembodied voice of the Head of Med-lab sounded
harried.
"Stephen, do you have the names of all the telepaths imbedded with Shadow
Tech?"
"Yes."
"Run a check on the name Carolyn Saunderson," Susan ordered. There was a
brief moment of silence.
"Yes, there is a Carolyn Saunderson in the records," Stephen replied.
"Thank you, Ivanova out," Susan terminated the link just as a woman with
sandy blonde hair and frantic brown eyes entered the office running full
tilt.
"Are you  Susan Ivanova?" the woman asked.
"Yes."
"I had to warn you..." the woman paused to take a breath, "My name is Carolyn
Saunderson, I... The Psi Corps is coming after... Captain... they know."