------------------------------------------------------------- Hopeless, Shapeless, Dreamless, Nameless (9/10) by Meredith Bronwen Mallory mallorys-girl@cinci.rr.com ------------------------------------------------------------- She sat in the gardens, her chin in her knees, silent and still. Marcus watched her; wondering if he should say anything, wondering if there was anything he could say. Was it too late for them? Had he blown even the small chance he had with her? Susan's back was to him, so he couldn't tell if she was angry or not. He decided getting his heart blown to smithereens was preferable to never knowing how she felt. Slowly, he placed a hand on her shoulder, gentle, yet firm. "Susan?" he asked, hesitantly. "What is it, Marcus?" she asked, hurt. Susan climbed to her feet, shaking off his touch. She lifted her chin defiantly, and Marcus' heart broke at the sight. What could he say? "Susan... I... that is...," he took a deep breath and decided to take the plunge, "all I ever wanted was for you to be happy. I wanted you to live, you deserved a chance. What could you have possibly done to make you deserve dying? You never hurt anyone. Me? I didn't have a reason to live, except you. And when the universe threatened to take that away from me... try to understand, Susan," he pleaded, "I did it because I love you." She looked at him, her eyes softening, but said nothing. To Marcus, it felt like an eternity in purgatory, waiting for her to answer him. Slowly, with out a word, Susan moved towards him, and he almost took a step back, momentarily afraid she would kill him. Instead she slowly wrapped her arms around him, her hands clenching in the hair at the back of his neck, to keep him with her. His whole body froze with shell shock. What she really doing this, was this all a dream? "Oh, Susan..." he breathed. "Shhh.." her breath was warm against his cheek, and she pressed her finger to his lips, quickly replacing it. All Marcus had time for was the sudden intake of breath before her lips came crashing down on his. The universe centered down on that one kiss, as Marcus wrapped his arms around the woman he loved and pulled her closer. Susan deepened the kiss, the point where he had to breathe with her, or not at all. "Marcus..." Susan breathed when they were forced to come up for air. She laid her head against his chest, "I'm sorry I ran away. I was just... afraid." "You don't have to be afraid of me," he smoothed her hair, "I'd never do anything to hurt you... I'll never leave you again, I promise." She looked up at him, searching his eyes for an answer. Could she believe him? Did she want to believe. The answer to both was... yes. She wanted to take that chance, to risk her fragile heart, just to be in love with Marcus Cole. "I believe you...," Susan told him, "I love you too." "Do you have any idea how happy you've just made me?" he asked softly. "I'm sure you can show me... later. Come on, they're probably waiting for us back in Med Lab," she took his hand, pulling him along. -------- With out much direction or purpose, Erika wandered the halls of Brown Sector, like a savage tigress paces the confines of her cage, always peering through the bars at the outside world, waiting, waiting to be free. "Why does he matter so much to me?" she asked out loud. She never cared before, her heart was dead, dead with Lucky, buried with his ashes in the red Martian soil. But can the dead feel? Oh, no. So why did her heart ache so at the thought of Michael's suffering at the hands of Bester? It wasn't fair, she wasn't supposed to feel! She was invincible, she didn't feel. She had sex, yes, but she never felt anything for her partners, save lust ... until now. ((Soon, very soon)) the words came into Erika's head, but they were not her own. The telepathic signature was unmistakable, though. A black, iron psyche, evil... BESTER. ((What was that?)) another.... Talia. ((What was what?)) Bester asked. ((I thought I heard something, never mind)) Talia responded. Erika shivered, tracing their conversation until she stood on the edge of their perception, listening. ((Do you know where they are?)) Bester asked. ((The stalker says they've just left the gardens, heading back to Med Lab. We'll get them there)) Talia said. ((Excellent)) Bester replied smoothly. A hideous laugh echoed in Erika's mind following the statement. Slowly, so as not to draw the Psi Cops' attention, she built a screen of smoke and shadow around herself, hiding her mind away so she could think. her mind wondered. (( It shouldn't take much to capture them)) Bester continued ((After all, no one is expecting us )) ((And after they are captured?)) Talia's mind inquired. ((She will be made to join the Corps)) ((But of course)) Talia laughed ((We have our ways. No, I was talking about him)) ((He knows too much, he will be destroyed)) Bester replied. Erika gasped internally, a bit too loudly. A muffled sound escaped her screen. ((What was that?)) Bester asked. ((You heard it too)) Erika felt Bester's powerful mind probing, searching for her own. His mind met with the illusion of her screen, and at first, passed over it. But them his suspicions were aroused. His psyche slithered over the surface of the screen, seeking a flaw, a weakness in it's structure. (<( SMASH!)>) The screen shattered, exposing Erika. ((So, we meet again, Ms. Browning)) She didn't even bother to reply, she had to get to Marcus and Susan, had to warn them... She ran down the hall, feeling the two Psi Cops close behind her. A shot fired, and a burst of plasma hit Erika's shoulder. Pain bloomed like a sunflower, opening it's face to the sun, but the Ranger forced herself on, using a Minbari technique to deaden the pain for a few minutes. As she rounded a corner, she saw her chance. Climbing on some cargo bins, she used her pike to smash an opening in an air-duct, wincing as she moved her shoulder. Erika hoisted herself up, and began to crawl. ((Where is she?)) she heard Bester ask ((We can't let her get away)) Slowly, Erika pulled herself through the shaft, her breath coming out in ragged gasps as the intense pain in her shoulder registered at last. She kept on crawling, until her shoulder hurt so terribly that she had to lay still. The blood was beginning to seep through her uniform, and she lay on her stomach, try as hard as she could to project through the pain. for a moment or two, her faŤade worked, the Psi Cops were moving in the direction opposite to where she needed to go, but the pain in her shoulder made the illusion flimsy and weak. Erika began to pull herself forward again, trying not to think, to focus on nothing. Suddenly, the shaft gave way, depositing her on the deck of a hallway. "Shit," she muttered. The minds of the two Psi Cops heard the crash and knew it was her, they were coming this way. Stumbling, she ran for the lift, "Green 12," she ordered. Just as the doors closed, Bester and Talia came around the corner. But it was too late, Erika was way ahead of them, "Come on, Erika," she told herself as she leaned against the wall, "come on, they're counting on you." The lift doors opened, and she hurried towards Med Lab. ------ "Honestly, Doc, I'm fine," Michael Garibaldi insisted as he and Doctor Franklin entered Main Med Lab. "Well, I want you to take it easy for a few days, all right?" Stephen asked. Michael nodded, and was about to say something when Susan and Marcus came in. "There you are," Stephen said, "Marcus, I want to do a full physical work-up on you, just to make sure the scan didn't damage you." "I told you he'd say that," Marcus said to Susan, rolling his eyes. She laughed, putting a hand on his arm. "Oh, come on, be a good boy and go with the Doctor," she smiled, "I'll be right here waiting, I need to talk to Carolyn," with that she moved off to speak with the other woman. Suddenly, Erika came crashing in, her eyes wild, her chest heaving. She looked like the devil himself was chasing her. "Erika," Michael asked, concerned, "What's wrong?" "Psi Cops.. Talia... Bester.." the Ranger gasped, looking as though she might be sick. "What?" Susan gasped, "Talia?" "Coming to..." whatever else Erika might have intended to say was drowned out by the blast of a PPG. Bester, Talia, and six blood hounds entered, firing like there was no tomorrow.