By DsignG4
Disclaimer: Not mine, blah, blah. Don't sue me.
Spoilers: seasons 3-5 and if so you are REALLY behind.
May 2261
"You must connect very carefully. This is extremely delicate mechanism, very precise..." Zathras said fingering it, and in turn dropping the tubular timing device down the shaft in the floor where Marcus was about to install it, "Oops," He said simply looking down where it went, "Very sorry."
Marcus had leapt for it but missed it as it bounced off the sub-floor three of four times with a racket. He picked it up carefully looking with confusion to the weird little man. Zathras' hand reached down and took it back brusquely.
"Hmmmm..." He said examining it with a grunt feeling a small part sticking out. He took the small cylindrical object and slammed it on the side of the deck, then looked at it again with a more pleased air. "Better," He said handing it to Marcus "Turn clockwise, red in this side," he said pointing to one end then tossing it to Marcus once more.
He caught it this time but couldn't tell know which end he was pointing to. Both looked alike. He sighed. "This end?" Marcus asked already at the end of his rope with this being. It was bad enough they were trying to STEAL a space station, but that they also needed this strange badger man to do it. The biggest mystery of the modern age, and he was partially responsible. Would miracles never end?
"No, the other - yes... that end," He said about the same end. Marcus rolled his eyes and ducked under the bulkhead to complete this connection with the power relay while softly muttering obscenities. Mainly fantasies about smashing Zathras' head with a spanner when this was all over.
He snapped the conjunction together with a satisfying click and sighed. Maybe he would just stay here, it seemed safer. Susan was closer to breaking point with the being he could tell as she vaulted down the hole with great ease.
He smiled uncomfortably "He still up there?" he whispered looking towards the top.
She nodded with a sigh, rolling her eyes. "If this works I'll take back everything I'm thinking of doing to him."
Marcus snickered, "Me too."
"I will power up the unit now!" They heard Zathras call down the chute with a whisper.
Marcus turned to the small digital panel he heard the unit ahead of him begin to hum and the number began to rise on the small LCD window. The lights under the floor where they were sequestered began to flicker. The levels on the power coupling he'd just installed were rising steadily, too fast if you asked him, but of course no one did.
Marcus suddenly began to feel lightheaded, he slumped his shoulder forward against the wall for support. He couldn't move, he was frozen as his muscles tensed and his body began to clench into a tight knot. The light flashed brightly.
When it ended he found himself in a room filled with warm golden natural light. He looked up to find himself eye to eye with an older Susan Ivanova - wearing the uniform of the Entil'zha.
Her fresh vibrant face was now paler and ashen, and small wrinkles surrounded her eyes and the corners of her mouth. Her once vibrant chestnut hair was more grey than brown. The fire in her once bold gaze was spent, she looked sad, broken and tired. She was still stunning though.
She didn't even seem to notice he was there. She seemed to look past him, absently staring forward tidying her clothes.
He tried to talk, but found he couldn't. Suddenly a feeling of dread began to creep in, he wasn't there, he wasn't looking at Susan - he was looking through her. She was standing in front of a full-length mirror.
How could this be happening? All out panic began to set in. What in the bloody hell was going on? Where was he? No, not where, when, when was he? The future defiantly, but how many years? How long would this last? Would it even end? A thousand questions began to run havoc through his mind.
Susan's face went blank, stepping closer to the mirror looking at her face studiously, deep in thought. Her hand moved to her heart. She let out a pained gasp. "Delenn, he's here..." she breathed finally, her voice little more than a whisper.
Delenn's wise face appeared behind her, setting her hand soothingly on her shoulder, looking into her eyes through the mirror "What? Who?" she asked.
"Marcus," She said as the light flashed once more.
He began to feel dizzy, vertigo screaming through his senses as he was severed and ripped free, spiraling at an exorbitant rate. He could barely hear her talking in the distance, but couldn't understand her words, they were jumbled and fuzzy. "Marcus? Marcus," Her voice was sterner, clearer now emerging form the flurry of activity in his mind. She shook him hard at the shoulder. "You ok? Marcus?"
He jolted suddenly backwards, his eyes glazed over. "What?" he said trying to speak.
"What happened?" she asked, "You ok?"
He shook his head to clear it of the haze that sought to suffocate him once more only to see her once again youthful and vibrant face scowling down at him concerned. He groaned and rubbed his forehead as an ache began to take over there, he felt dizzy and nauseous. He slid to the ground.
"How... how...long was I gone?" he sputtered wearily. He knew it was a 'timeflash' as Zathras had called it, he thought he'd have been safe with that thing on his belt. What exactly had he seen? And how had he seen it? He mind raced as his body began to struggle to regain it's bearings again.
"Gone? You didn't go anywhere. I looked over and you were out of it. What the hell happened?" she asked briskly.
He slowly began to stand fully erect again, "I'm fine... fine," He looked down at the time stabilizer on his belt, it had a dent in it. From his jump after the connector Zathras had dropped earlier, no doubt. He'd get another as soon as he got up top. "I guess the lights flashing disoriented me is all. Whew." He huffed giving his head a good toss once more.
Now was not the time to tell her what he saw. In fact there may never be a time to say 'I went to the future and entered your body and saw you had become the Entil'zha', she'd have him committed for sure.
"Let's pack up. We don't have much time to do the remaining three junctions and meet the others back at the ship," he said getting to his feet and hurried to busy himself, despite the wobbliness in his knees. He pushed what he had experienced from his mind, not time to think about it now, there was work to be done.
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March 2279
Delenn watched with a proud quiet smile as Susan pulled the mantel of the Entil'zha over her body. It fit her like a glove. She somehow wished it didn't.
It was only a few minutes before her ceremony to initiate her formally in her new post. She'd been working a few weeks unofficially since John's death, she still wasn't used to the idea of this whole thing yet. She knew she probably never would.
She caught Delenn's motherly gaze in the mirror and smiled a little to show she was doing ok. The two had always been friends but had not been close in recent years. These last few weeks as they both settled into their new posts, trying to accustom to the sudden changes in their new lives and had bonded. They saw each other almost daily, rebuilding the friendship from so long ago that had faded with distance and time, even if only for a quick lunch or dinner.
She smoothed the fabric around her shoulders nervously trying to look as immaculate as possible for her big hour. As hard as she tried, her mind dwelled on the fact of the poison she would have to ingest as part of the ceremony. She was trying to find a way around it, she'd read all the bylaws several times over the last few days, loosing more than a bit of sleep - she was going to have to do it.
She could only take a tiny amount of the liquid she knew or it would be fatal. She'd decided she would place her tongue to the top of the surface just enough to taste - which was all that was evidentially required. The fact that they would have a team of doctors off the dais to inject antidote did not make her feel better, too many variables. She did not like variables.
She stared into the mirror when she'd finished primping. She didn't deserve to wear this. She shouldn't be here - in his spot - this was his and she knew it. They all knew it. You could see it in their eyes when she passed them.
Oh the Minbari would never say so they were a very polite and proper race, but you could see their thoughts in their eyes. See they thought her unworthy. They knew she was getting it because of him. She was getting this because he couldn't.
It was obvious to her years ago that Delenn had been molding him for this day, it should have been his. She was so old now, hell, she was never young. She'd beaten the youngness out of herself - made herself into a machine - years before Marcus had even stepped into her life that first time. She wished she could turn back the clock, and change so many things now.
Maybe she should have died all those years ago, she certainly hadn't lived any. It only got worse after he left. She threw herself even more into routine and discipline. Concentrating more and more on duties and protocols. She'd even memorized the EarthForce and Alliance bylaws and constitutions or fun.
Fun... there was a word she hadn't thought of in some time. The life she was given back was as hollow as she felt. Her soul was like a drafty old attic - dark, creepy, more than a few skeletons, a bunch of cobwebs and more than it's share of ghosts.
Just then, her heart began to pound, a flush of chills down her spine, a cold panic raced thorough her. For a second she thought it was pre-ceremony jitters, but then she took a deep slow breath to clear her head and realized it was feeling she'd not felt in a long time - him - she knew it was him.
She breathed heavily trying to hone in on what it was that was making her feel it was him, but couldn't. It was everywhere like a swarm of softly buzzing insects around her ears making everything else seem a bit... off.
She edged closer to the mirror, her face now ashen and drawn as she heard a small voice deep with in her panicking as well. Her hand moved to her heart as it attempted to beat a path out of her chest. It was him, but how? Why now? She began to feel lightheaded she
"Delenn, he's here..." she gasped out trying to focus in on him,. Staring deeply into her own face in the mirror, unable to look away.
She felt Delenn's hand on her shoulder, "What? Who?," she asked softly, her brow furrowed in concern.
"Marcus, I can feel him, he's here..." She choked out, tears beginning to fill her eyes, swaying backwards, the older woman grabbed her to keep her from falling.
"Tell him, tell him quickly, it's your only chance," Delenn said urging her, "Now!" squeezing the woman's arms firmly. "Do it!"
"Marcus, I always loved you, I'm sorry," she panted out almost silently trying to project the words internally as well but only felt his presence fading. She closed her eyes to concentrate, reaching out to try to hold on to the small part she could sense but it was too late. He was gone just as quickly as he had come.
Delenn couldn't hold her up and gently guided her to the floor. She looked to the other woman and began to cry. "Why? Why now? How?"
Delenn moved to sit next to her, pulling her into a close embrace, "He knew this day would come, he told me of it so long ago-" She said pulling her friend into an embrace.
"How - how did he know?" she asked, hot tears running down her face. Delenn smoothed them away with her soft fingers shushing her gently with soft tones.
"Babylon4. His time stabilizer was damaged and he had a time flash. Until he... passed... I did not understand what he'd seen," She said softly.
"I remember that... he blacked out, he never mentioned a thing."
"It took him some time to even tell me, he was very confused, did not understand how he could be looking out of your eyes, or how you came to be Entil'zha. But we know that now, don't we?"
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked bitterly, "You should have told me! I deserved to know!"
"We could not interfere with the timeline. I did not even tell John as I was not sure it would actually happen - or when - it could have been only a possible future, it could have been five years or forty, who was to know. I did not wish to ruin something so special, so very precious. What I would not give to..." Delenn looked as if she would cry, but the tears did not fall, she only smiled "Know that he is very proud of you right now, and it is why you are here."
"What do you mean by that?" she gasped horrified teas falling again.
"I meditated on this for many years after the end of the war. I came to the conclusion that besides his love for you he took the measure he did because of his oath as a ranger - his pledge to 'die for the one' - in his own mind it did not have a time limit," she said her eyes dark and cloudy. She put her palm to the woman's face "Think of him as the first of many to make that promise to you. In time it becomes easier to bear," She said helping Susan rise to her feet. "But, the first is always the hardest."
The small Minbari forced on a smile and readjusted her friend's uniform once more. Her eyes beamed of pride. "I wish John could be here to see this, he loved you so. You will be a fine leader, you always have been," she took Susan's hands in her own and gave them a loving squeeze and rallying shake, "The time is near... are you ready?"
"No, but I better be, I have some big shoes to fill don't I?" she sighed wiping her face self-consciously, she could not appear in this state, she refused to look emotional and weak for this occasion.
"They will be much bigger when they pass on again," she said with a compassionate smile, "Let us go, they are waiting."
Susan nodded with a long in draw of air and walked out into the midday sun of Tuzanor. No, she would not forget this day as long as she lived. She took a long look up to the sky and fell into place behind Delenn as they took up the path.
End.
