- A remark made by Captain John Sheridan during his flight from Babylon 5 into the activated Artifact, Mid-2261
* * *
Chronicles Log...Observations.
It has now been five days since the arrival of Interplanetary Expeditions at Babylon 5, and almost six days since Commander Ivanova and her Starfury group dragged the Artifact into Epsilon system; and by this point, Shival and I have decided that implementing a full alert within the station's Ranger cadre has become a clear and present necessity.
Something is happening; something dreadful, and it has hit harder and closer to home already then we could have possibly imagined. Slightly more then two days ago, Brianna disappeared, and despite concerted searches throughout the station, into Downbelow, and even into the zero grav sections above, we cannot find any sign that she is even still aboard. What is worse, however, is the news that the only one who might have had a chance to find her, Lyta Alexander, has, somehow, had an episodic descent into madness, and will see no one, not even us.
A coincidence, this isn't everything is pointing towards the artifact as the source for these disturbances, but there is more. Rangers have returned to the compound, their faces disturbed, bringing tales of members of the civilian population acting...strange, almost possessed. Serious fighting has escalated five fold, and continues to grow. And even among my Rangers, the mood is rapidly growing darker and more strained, while power losses station-wide are becoming an all too common occurence.
Something will give, and soon, I'm afraid. I find myself beginning to wish that they’d never brought that thing out of hyperspace. And finally, I'm also beginning to fear that Elizabeth Trent, the doctor in charge of the IPX team, will do something we will all regret...and soon.
* * *
"Val'na Westcastle...thank you for coming."
"Of course, Doriaz." Jennifer replied to the human weapons instructor, one who had come to Babylon 5 since the end of the War to help Viridal instruct the trainees. "What seems to be the problem?"
"It is...Lakotal Tikopai; she has, over the past forty eight hours, become far more obstinate and less willing to learn; and late last night, while you were in Council, she injured her opponent, seemingly willingly, in training practice. We banished her to her quarters, but now, when we try to contact her, no response is given, and the door to her quarters, it would seem, is now blocked."
A coldness passed through her, and Jennifer turned, her eyes gazing beyond the walls, beyond the station, to the *thing* outside, waiting, watching, manipulating. And now, if that THING had harmed Julia...
* * *
While he was working on paperwork, it was only halfhearted; how long was it going to take? Abruptly, then, the signal he had been waiting for came through. "Sha'vei, this is Tashann."
"This is Westcastle; go ahead."
"Sir, we have located Anla'shok Tolmanes; you should COME, Sha'vei, and quickly." The dire urgency in Tashann's voice was quite notable, and William rose, his unease growing. If Brianna had descended back into madness, a madness induced by this *thing* outside...was there anyone present who could move to bring her back to sanity?
"I will be there promptly; stand by."
* * *
It seemed unbelievable, to her, but Julia had, somehow, deactivated the door control for the *outside*; but after the arrival of a team of technicians, the reprogramming was soon overcome, and the door sprang open, revealing inky blackness inside. Heart thumping, Jennifer slowly entered the quarters. "Lights, full." Then, she stopped, now astonished at what she saw within,
Every piece of furniture in the room had been *shattered*, somehow, broken into tiny chunks and fragments, as if by repeated blows. But if Julia had done this, then why?
"I *knew* you would come...*they* told me you would."
Jennifer whirled, to meet the the strangest thing she had ever seen; a mocking, almost *evil* smile upon the face of Julia Tikopai. "They? They who?" This was impossible, this was...
*It's* fault, she realized.
Julia laughed, a chilling sound. "Them. The ones beyond the Gate, and it will soon be open, I'm afraid, and then they will come for me, and love me forever. But you, my darling Mistress, I can see that you haven't heard their call; that's...too bad, I guess; I guess you won't survive, like all the rest."
In Valen's Name. "It's that Thing out there, isn't it? What did you call it, a Gate? A Gate to where?"
"To the City." Julia replied, her eyes empty, her smile enormous. "To the Tower, the beautiful Tower, where they live."
"You're wrong about this, Julia, please listen to me! This is happening all over the station, you've got to.."
Julia's head whipped around, the smile now gone. "I don't have to listen to this, they told me that you would try and distract me, but They told me what to do, *exactly* what to do, and I always do things for those who love me the most." In an instant, then, her short staff appeared in her hand. "Oh...and another thing they told me, was that They wanted *me* to be their Observer...and they only want one, I guess.
Too bad you taught me everything you know, it'll just make this so much easier." And then, to Jennifer's astonishment, Julia moved...and the staff cracked down on her right arm, before sweeping up towards her head.
* * *
Downbelow...
The lights flickered, but the Ranger group moved as one, through the darkness. Eyes flickered in the shadows, but all the Lurkers, no matter their mental state, could clearly see the warrior pikes in Ranger hands, and kept their peace...for now. "Where is she?"
Tashann nodded briefly at a section of scaffolding and sheet metal, barely hanging onto the wall beyond. "In there."
He moved to go in, and in an instant, Tashann laid a hand on his shoulder. "I would strongly suggest, Sha'vei, that you not enter alone."
"I will remind you..." William ground out, "That I was the one to bring her back from the Darkness the first time, Tashann. And while your advice is sound, if too many come, she may attack. And she is *much* stronger now then she was then."
"I will, then, remain at the partition, close behind you. If she should attack, I will, by need, be forced to enter, and respond."
"Agreed." And with that, he drew the partition aside, and entered.
Inside, there was barely any light at all; keeping his strides slow but steady, he advanced into the nearly empty room. "Brianna, it's William...are you here?"
"You should have come sooner." the telepath's voice came back, strangely sibilant. "You were too late."
"For what?"
"The warning; the memory of the mistake."
"What mistake?"
"The mistake beyond the walls, the darkness within the trap that is. You are too late, William, and now, they are coming. THEY are coming, and nothing we do will prevent that coming. I have seen what they intend, William, and nothing, none of us, nothing in this galaxy, will survive that arrival."
It was then, that the meaning of her words came clear. "The Artifact! You're talkng about the Artifact!"
"The *artifact*?" Brianna replied, her voice broken, and full of contempt. "Hardly. They are coming, and soon enough, the fools in control will compound the error, and this place will die."
"Can we stop this from happening, Brianna?"
Brianna laughed, and shrugged. "You can try." And then, the telepath's eyes rolled up into their sockets, and she collapsed against the wall behind.
"William!" Tashann's voice came, urgently.
He retreated, his thoughts full of turmoil. If what Brianna was saying was true, then something was about to come out of that thing...but how? "What?"
"Word has come from the compound, William; dire news. Julia has, it would seem, suffered a similar fate to Brianna, and using her weapon and skills, has..." Tashann paused, his face disturbed. "Forgive me, William, I truly do *not* wish to tell you this; she has attacked and injured Jennifer."
"WHAT?" He was already moving, but once again, Tashann placed a hand on his shoulder, and restrained him. "The injury was not severe, William; Julia has...only broken her arm, and cracked several ribs."
"*Only?*" he roared.
"Julia, herself, has been restrained, and secured along with the several others among us who have been affected by the artifact's...attentions.
Additionally, however, the Entil'zha has been asking for you; no, I will rephrase, she REQUIRES your presence in the compound, as soon as is possible."
"Of course; thank you for telling me, Tashann; you will watch her?"
Tashann took one look at Brianna, collapsed on the floor, and nodded. "We will attempt to move her back to the Compound, William, and all being well, we will reach there before any more conflicts arise to bar our path. Now go, with all speed!"
* * *
The Compound, a short time later.
"William." Jennifer whispered, as he knelt by the side of the bed, and brushed back her hair. "I'm sorry; I was so *stupid*, I should have seen it coming..."
He tried to smile, and mostly failed, but took hold of her hand. "Please, no!...you could not have predicted what Julia tried to do, could not have known."
"That thing out there; we've got to stop it, whatever it's going to do, we've got to stop it, William, and soon! You have to go to our White Star, and join the squadron waiting; soon enough, we may have to attack that thing..."
"As is usual.." a familiar voice intruded, "She speaks the truth." William turned, and immediately rose, and bowed.
"Entil'zha!"
"I will come to the point, Sha'vei." Delenn replied, her voice and gaze sharp. "While things are not yet at the critical point she describes, I believe that will soon change; you *will* proceed directly to your command, and join the squadron waiting in hyperspace, and should the artifact prove as dangerous to this place as it is to some of those you hold dear, then you will move to attack the artifact, and if necessary, destroy it, should the Captain command such an action. "
"I understand, Entil'zha."
"Then go...for we may be nearly out of time."
* * *
Things were still deceptively calm as a single, small shuttle left the docking bay of Babylon 5, and arced out over the limb of Epsilon 3, towards the parking orbit where the pilot of that shuttle had left his command. Shortly thereafter, the blue flash of a jump point sprang into being along the edge of the planet, and then faded from sight.
Some time passed; time in which things seemed to calm down a little, to return a little back towards normal. Tashann and his team, carrying Brianna between them, were easily able to escape from Downbelow, while in the Compound, within a closed cell, Julia slept, an empty smile on her face.
And then, soon enough, the final mistake happened. A mistake instigated by a technician named Kuehler, and his IPX team. An energy cell moved, on orders made falsely; a contact made.
And within a time measured in a heartbeat, the artifact lit up, from end to end, the energy lapped up, and sucked away into the abyss.
The Gate to Hell was, so to speak, about to yawn wide open.
* * *
Several things happened simultaneously, at that point. In her quarters, Brianna Tolmanes's eyes sprang open, and without pause, she began to scream. And closely nearby, Julia Tikopai's eyes also opened, but she did not scream, oh no.