Babylon 5 17 - Techno-Mages 02 - Summoning Light (Cavelos, Jeanne)

by Summoning Light (Cavelos, Jeanne)

  And what did you buy with your cooperation? Elric held up the necklace. Whose lives? Whose deaths?

  The smile vanished from Mordens face. I want that back. Those words, Elric sensed, came from Morden alone.

  It means nothing to you, Elric said. I read your article on the Anfran love incantation. You translated the key line as The love that abides no borders. You loved them, once. Yet they are dead and here you are. If you truly loved them, and you truly abide no borders, you would have killed yourself to be with them. Elric allowed the stone to swing slightly from his fingers, and Mordens eyes followed it. You are not what you once were, Elric said. They have changed you. You are their slave.

  Mordens eyes shifted from the stone to Elric, and his expression darkened. Youre as much a slave as I am. You were bought, just like me.

  I am not a slave, Elric said, so long as I can do this. He tossed the stone toward Morden, turned, and walked away.

  As he set one foot after the next down the dim passage, he waited for the Shadows to attack.

  No attack came.

  Of course a murder here could be messy, and noisy, and draw the attention of the captain. It would be better for the Shadows to kill them all together, after they had boarded their ship and cleared the station. A malfunction could be blamed, and no wrongdoing suspected.

  Elric descended another steep, narrow staircase, finding his legs shaking with either exhaustion or fear, or both. He had rejected the Shadows final offer of alliance. They would turn their full efforts to the destruction of the techno-mages.

  His plan was all that stood in their way. The success of that plan was now in doubt, with Shadows on the station. He would have to make certain they were kept away at the critical moment, so they could not uncover the mages illusions.

  Elrics legs gave way, and he stumbled down several stairs before he regained control. He sat on the bottom step, unable to continue. He pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. His heart was pounding in time with the throbbing in his head. He had many things to attend to, yet only a single thought penetrated the pain: Galen. He was in danger.

  Gowen appeared at Elrics side. May I help?

  Gowen had been waiting for his return. Elric straightened, though he felt he could not safely stand. How is Ing-Radi?

  She is weak, but improved. I left her resting.

  The Crystal Cabin has arrived?

  Yes. Just a few minutes ago. The Zekhite is on schedule to arrive tomorrow.

  And Londo? He could check himself, but he did not have the energy or the focus.

  Alwyn sent the computer demon into his datasystem as soon as your meeting ended. His money is being reinvested into worthless companies, and his files are being destroyed, all in a very loud, obnoxious way. Hes very unhappy with us right now.

  Galen asked you to watch over me.

  Gowen looked down, embarrassed. Yes. Just as I asked him to watch over Blaylock.

  Elric pushed himself to his feet. You have fulfilled your promise. But know that Ing-Radi needs your attention much more than I do.

  Gowen said nothing, his anxious eyes on Elric. Elric continued toward their place in Down Below. Gowen followed.

  Blaylock, Elric knew, would watch over Galen to the best of his abilities. But what if Blaylock was incapacitated? Galen had no power to heal. He could be left alone.

  And now, Elric had angered the Shadows. What better way for them to strike back at him than through Galen? If they knew where he was. After Mordens threat, Elric felt compelled to take some action. He had given up everything for the mages, except Galen.

  And Galen he would not give up.

  Galen and Blaylock wound their way through the maze of streets toward the City Center. Through their probe, they watched as the Drazi Rabelna Dorna walked a few blocks ahead, briefcase in hand. She seemed to know her way.

  As the day had not been bright, the night was not dark. The city lights reflected off the smoke and soot in the air, giving it an eerie grey glow. The height of buildings, the narrowness of the streets, the concentration of beings all increased as the two of them neared their goal. Despite the late hour, the area was filled with activity, and Shadows were plentiful.

  Here, at last, Galen found some pattern to the city. The curved streets revealed that it was, at its core, a circular maze, with the City Center its protected heart. Many streets ringed the area, while only this one, perhaps, allowed admittance.

  As the massive black building came into view, Galen shivered. It stood two hundred stories tall, a dwarfing tower of glittering blackness against the glowing night sky. Rabelna disappeared inside. They would follow.

  While Galen had finished his dinner, Blaylock had reviewed all that hed learned over the afternoon. He had followed Rabelna from the port to the City Center. Through his probe, hed watched as she had ridden to the top floor and met with a Drakh. Rabelna had offered information to report, information about techno-mages. The Drakh had told her to return that night.

  Blaylock had lingered outside the building for most of the afternoon, attempting to penetrate the citys datasystems as he planted probes on many of those coming and going from the Center. It was then he saw a young woman coming from the building. She had long blond hair and wore a short pink dress. Blaylock had said he sensed some odd electromagnetic radiation coming from her, and when he studied it, he found the three frequencies in the ultraviolet in which mages hid signs. A microelectronic emitter had been planted on her forehead, and when Blaylock combined the three frequencies in the way known only to mages, he found encoded in the signal a rune, the rune signifying Killer .

  Blaylock had searched for information on her, had found that her name was Bunny Oliver. She was twenty-eight years old, a P12 telepath supposedly held in the Greenfield Internment Camp on Earth because of severe sociopathic disorders.

  Blaylock had concluded she must have been the telepath chosen by Elizar, and she must have aided in Kells death.

  At this Galen had objected. Elizar had killed Kell, not a telepath.

  No, Blaylock had said. Elizar was surely the one to flay Kell, yet that was done after Kells death. He died of a heart attack, one so massive I believe he must have induced it himself, to prevent the telepath from gaining information.

  Galen did not like the idea that Kell had killed himself. Hed been sure it was Elizar. Yet if Elizar had engineered the situation, and had flayed Kell afterward, what difference did it make? He knew Elizar was a murderer. He had seen it with his own eyes.

  Blaylock believed Kell had planted the emitter, possibly as his last, dying act. Yet Elizar and the others would certainly have seen the signal, would have realized what it was. Why had they not removed it?

  Perhaps they had no fear of other mages finding Bunny here, on the rim. Or perhaps the signal was meant as a lure for any mages who did find their way herea lure to bring them to Elizar, Razeel, and Tilar.

  Blaylock had kept his distance from Bunny, and directed Galen to do the same. Her powers were strong, and if she suspected them and tried to scan them, she would quickly discover they were techno-mages. Yet somehow they must learn all they could of her plans. If other techno-mages were to be captured, questioned, or killed, Bunny would likely be involved.

  For Galen, Bunnys appearance was the best news hed had since arriving on the planet. If Elizars telepath was here, then Elizar might well be here. Though he could not sense Elizars mage energy, Galen believed he might be close. Perhaps in this very building. If Bunny was a lure, Galen would gladly take the bait.

  Energy raced through him, ready, eager to be used. Perhaps, finally, the time would come to release it.

  Galens attention was drawn to the narrow street before him. Ten feet ahead, among the passersby, an angular body of static stood motionless, blocking his path. Galen approached the Shadow with even steps, maintaining his direction. He could not reveal that he knew it was there.

  The shape subtly shifted, and Galen was suddenly certain that it was looking at him. Wo
uld it sense his mage energy?

  He forced his heavy feet forward. The Shadow was eight feet ahead, six, four. At last, with the hint of some strange, scissorlike action, the shape moved to the side, and Galen passed by, nearly brushing against it.

  They still knew little about the Shadows, not even what their enemy looked like. The Shadows had lived for tens of thousands of years. They were far more ancient than the Taratimude that had given birth to the techno-mages; their powers were vast. Blaylock had said that the moment he and Galen were recognized as techno-mages, they would have only one chanceto run. He had purchased two tickets on a transport leaving at dawn.

  But Galen would not leave. Not until both of his tasks were fulfilled.

  In his minds eye, Rabelna rode the elevator to the top floor.

  As they approached the glittering black tower, Galen became aware of a sound, below the din of construction and traffic and people and business. He realized the sound had always been there, since theyd arrived, yet it had existed just below the level of hearing, a deep, subtle pulsation, lost in the noise of the city until now. Here, at the City Center, the vibration became slightly more pronounced. He looked down at the shiny black street. The sound pulsed from below. His sensors revealed indications of a vast underground complex.

  A great screech sounded overhead, and Galen jerked his head up to see a dark, spiky shape silhouetted against the glowing sky. GLeel had once described to them a Shadow ship, a ship as black as space, that moved as if alive. I could swear it screamed , she had said.

  The ship cruised over the city canyon as if looking down upon them. Strange, intense energies radiated from it. It passed beyond the pinnacle of the City Center, then dove down behind it, out of sight. That would be where the empty Joncorp lot now stood.

  Inside, Rabelna stepped from the elevator, walked down a plain, empty hall, and rang the buzzer beside a door. It clicked open, and she went within.

  The entrance to the City Center was marked by three tall, golden doors. Beings trickled in and out. The building, Galen saw now, was made of a strange material. It reflected the light in an odd, shifting manner. If he could touch the wall, he could gain additional information through the sensors in his fingertips. Yet he didnt want to draw attention to himself.

  The center door opened to admit them, and they passed through. To one side, several guards stood talking, of a species Galen did not know. Ahead was a line of metaglass booths that served as security gates. Beings entered and were sealed inside. They ran their I.D.s through the reader, and once their authorization was confirmed, the far side of the booth opened to admit them to the building.

  Blaylock had created false I.D.s for them, and had breached the City Center database and added their information, authorizing them access to the building. If the tampering had been noticed, or had in some way been insufficient, they would be trapped inside the booths.

  Galen stepped inside, and the booth sealed behind him. He ran his I.D. through as Blaylock did, held his hand to the scanner to confirm identification. The booth opened, allowing him to pass. Blaylock joined him.

  While most were gathered at the near banks of elevators, he and Blaylock went to the far bank, the one that led to the top floors. They waited for an elevator to arrive. Galen noticed that the lobbys black walls were made of the same material as the buildings exterior, and carried the same strange, shifting reflections.

  The elevator doors opened, and Galen stepped in beside Blaylock. As they rode upward, they did not speak. They were no doubt being observed. Blaylock stared ahead, his expression unrevealing. Soon enough someone would notice them. Perhaps they would learn something to help save the mages before then; perhaps not. This would be their only chance.

  Blaylock had planted their FTL relay nearby. If they were successful in gaining any information, it could be sent immediately to Elric, in the event they were unable to escape. If they were able to escape, then Blaylock could take the information away with him. Galen crossed his arms, the techs restless energy churning through him.

  The room in which Rabelna stood was dimly lit, as Drakh seemed to prefer. Rabelna moved to a desk illuminated by a sleek, low lamp, laid her briefcase there, and opened it. I have information about the techno-mages. She spoke in English. Although her enunciation was a bit stiff, she seemed to have mastered the foreign grammar, unlike most Drazi. The final s of her sentence lingered with a slight hissing.

  Another figure came close to the desk. Galen saw a flash of Human skin, pink fabric. As the figure bent to see what was in the briefcase, a sheet of curly blond hair came into view. It was Bunny.

  A Drakhs voice scratched like dry leaves across stone. We know of the magic workers on Babylon 5.

  Rabelna turned. The Drakh was a hulking shadow before the closed door, the outline of its head barely visible, rising in the back into two craggy peaks, one above the other. Galen scanned different frequencies, looking for static. I assumed your associate had told you by now, Rabelna said. But has he also told you their plans?

  There, in the corner, the sparkle of static in the darkness.

  The elevator doors opened. The top floor seemed deserted. Galen and Blaylock quickly made their way to the room Rabelna had entered. Shadow communications were transmitted in a narrow, focused beam. To detect them, he must be within three feet of the recipient, in this case, hopefully, the Drakh. Once he had tapped into the transmissions, though, he believed he could maintain access at a greater distance. In fact, once a connection was established, he might be unable to terminate it. Memories threatened to return, and he pushed them away.

  What do you know of their plans? the Drakh asked. He stood just on the other side of the door, a foot away.

  Galen scanned for high frequencies, found an area within the Drakhs brain was being excited by energy in a focused, narrow banda message sent from the Shadow to the Drakh.

  Something slipped down over his skin with the whisper of silk. Blaylock had contained both of them within a soundproof shield. Galen had once done the same for her. If he began to yell out the Shadows words, as she had, the shield would hold the sound within.

  I know everything, Rabelna said. How much would you like to know?

  He did not want to cast the spell. If hed translated incorrectly, it could create some massive instability, endangering Blaylock and possibly much more. If hed translated correctly, he could be overwhelmed by the Shadows signal. He glanced at Blaylocks gaunt face, realizing Blaylock would be left alone to face the Shadows if he was incapacitated. But there was no choice. This was their best chance to learn the Shadows plans.

  Galen closed his eyes, visualized the one-term equation.

  Words bubbled up through him as if they swam through the currents of his blood, as if they permeated every cell in his body, as if they whispered up the twisting strands of his DNA. He was possessed by them; he was the embodiment of them. They were Drakh words, yet somehow, without even translating, he knew what they meant.

  The magic workers have rejected us for the last time. They prefer to cripple themselves with rules and stagnate in isolation rather than live free and use their great powers to their full extent. Now they must die. Find out all she knows so that none will escape us.

  The flow of words stopped, yet those that had been uttered continued to circulate through him, repeating, breaking apart, recombining. The magic workers have rejected us. Rejected us for the last time. They prefer to stagnate. Rejected their great powers. Rejected us to cripple themselves. None will escape . Galen had little sense of his body, beyond the words that whispered through it. Yet he didnt think he was yelling, didnt think he was speaking. There seemed no need. The words seemed to be everywhere, in everything.

  Gradually the broken echoes began to fade, and Galen became aware of the Drakhs dark silhouette in his minds eye, of the voices that spoke. Rabelna and the Drakh settled on a price.

  They are gathering, Rabelna said, all five hundred of them, in order to retreat to some hiding place.
Theyve purchased an Earth transport, the Tidewell , which will arrive at Babylon 5 shortly.

  We know this, the Drakh said. We have already destroyed that ship.

  But do you also know, Rabelna said, that they have made arrangements for a Drazi freighter, the Zekhite , to come to Babylon 5 at the same time? Its captain, Vayda, has been known to have dealings with techno-mages in the past. The freighter can easily carry five hundred. I believe the Tidewell was a distraction.

  That is useful, the Drakh said.

  Rabelna handed the Drakh a data crystal. The Zekhite is scheduled to depart Babylon 5 in thirty-six hours.

  Again the words came, flooding through him. The magic workers have always a hidden deceit. Now that we know their true plan we can destroy them. Once they are all aboard we will destroy the freighter. Direct Morden to handle it. With their foolish Code they have made themselves unfit to survive .

  The message stopped, yet he was saturated with its words, and they murmured on, fragmenting, reordering. Unfit to survive. Their true plan. Hidden deceit will destroy them. Once they are all aboard. Direct the magic workers. Their foolish Code always a hidden deceit .

  Return to Babylon 5, the Drakh said from the darkness. We will look forward to further information in the future.

  Galen felt disoriented in that dark room, as if he were losing his balance. He realized that Blaylock was pulling on his arm. The sensations of his body seemed far away, lost in the echoes of the Shadows words.

  They prefer to cripple themselves with deceit. They are unfit to survive. Now they must die.

  Galen held fiercely to the two spells in his mindone for probe access, the other to decode the Shadow signal. He could not lose contact. He had to get as much information as he could. It could save Elric.

  Yet he tried to extend his attention to the hallway around him, to the exterior of the body whose interior ran with whispers. Blaylock was pulling him, saying something Galen couldnt hear. The Shadows words swathed him in their echoes. He saw movement at a turn in the hall. Three Drakh emerged, and tiny spots of yellow flashed from the muzzles of their weapons. The loud thump of the plasma bolts did not reach him.