Days of Future and Past
by Zaxxon
Part 5
[=== From Part 4 ===]
"The Shadows?" Nathan asked.
"That what the Minbari call them. They say that the Shadows are
the oldest of the old races. They say that if we don't stop them then
the Galaxy will suffer. Ten *thousand* years ago, the First Ones had a
battle between the Vorlons and the Shadows. One *thousand* years ago,
the Shadows returned and the Minbari, the Vorlons, and some of the
others fought them again. To a standstill. The Shadows withdrew and
now they're back," Susan answered.
"Shadows...." Nathan said. "Interesting."
[=== End of Part 4 ===]
"What have you got, Garibaldi?" Captain Sheridan asked.
"We've got him on one of the secur-cams," Michael Garibaldi
answer. "The attacker seems to be a mutant."
"A mutant? Why?" Nathan asked.
"What other type of person do you know who can turn their hand
into a mallet that's got a radius of a meter? The actual person had a
cam-jammer since we couldn't get a good look," Garibaldi said.
"So now what?" Nathan asked.
"Normal operating procedure would be to call EarthDome and
request an X.S.E. team out here to deal with the suspect, but since
we're no longer with EarthDome..." Sheridan began.
Garibaldi thought a moment and said, "I might have a solution,
Captain."
"What?" Sheridan asked.
"First, I have to check some things, then..." Garibaldi replied.
"Well, get to it," Sheridan said, "I've got a meeting to attend."
After Sheridan left, Michael turned to Nathan, and said, "Could
you come with me to my quarters. I need to get something."
"Sure," Nathan said.
"Nice place," Nathan said as he looked around Michael's outer room.
He smiled at the Daffy Duck posters, models, and other related stuff.
"There's a hot pot of water on the stove, you could make yourself
some tea or coffee, if you want," Michael said from the inner room.
"There's tea and coffee bags to the right of the stove."
"Thanks," Nathan said as he took a tea bag and a cup of hot
water. "So what's the plan?"
"Simple," Michael said as he entered the outer room. Michael had
changed out of his black independent-Babylon 5 uniform and into
something else. The new uniform was a dark blue with a yellow line
coming out of his left boot in the front and running all the way
straight up into the yellow collar. The shoulders had yellow lining
that Nathan noted held four small packets. Around Michael's waist was
a yellow ulitility belt with various sized compartments in it. Where
the belt and the yellow meet there was a circle patch of an 'X' in
black on red background. It was obvious to anyone to saw that the
uniform also doubled as body armor and that it was skin-tight. A handle
of some type was clearly visible over his left shoulder and
well as his station-PPG at left hip. Each of the outfit's pockets
were filled. "I figure you and me could catch the murder."
"Oh?" Nathan raised his eyebrow. "Since you're wearing a X.S.E.
uniform and they're calibrated to be worn only by their owners, that
makes you a mutant with X.S.E. training. So why do you need me?"
"Noy too many people know that a X.S.E. uniform is genetically
coded to the wear like the Station's commlinks. That and the fact that
my mutant ability is enhanced sensory perception. I can smell a fellow
mutant, if they're in the same room as me. So I know you're a mutant.
That was one of the ways I found information on you. Now, I don't know
if you're an alpha-class mutant or an beta-class mutant like me. But
you're differently not a gamma-class since I can't sense them. Gammas
are just latent mutants. So which are you?" Michael said as he check
himself in the mirror.
"Alpha-class. And it's metalkinetics," Nathan answered.
"Control over metal? Not bad," Michael said.
"It's what I was born with," Nathan said simply. "So how are
a beta-class and an alpha-class, going to take an alpha-class mutant
who's killing aliens?"
"With these," Michael said. In his right hand was the rifle from
his back and his left he had a silver box.
Nathan pointed at the silver box and asked, "A mini-Cerebro?"
"And I bet you know how to use it too," Michael suggested.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Omega Black Five to Babylon Five Control," came a voice over the
comm system in Command and Control.
"Wonderful! Just who we don't need," Commander Susan Ivanova said
to no one. She activated the comm-system and said, "What are you doing
here, Bester?"
"Now, Commander, is that proper communication protocol?" Bester
joked.
"Fine," Ivanova said, "Babylon Five Control to Omega Black Five.
State your purpose for being here.... Before I blow you up as a
hostile."
"And here I thought we are friends," Bester said in a mock-hurt
tone.
"Whatever," Ivanova replied. "Why are you here?"
"Tell the Captain I have important information for him. Matters
of life and death," Bester said.
"Right," Ivanova said saracatistic.
"That's what he said, 'Matters of life and death.' He didn't say
whos. But if he came out here in person and he did sound serious...
He's docking in Bay Eight and he'll arrive in the War room in about
fifteen minutes. I've informed Delenn of Bester's arrival so three Minbari
telepaths should be there in five minutes," Ivanova told Sheridan over
his commlink.
"Right," Sheridan replied into the commlink. To his guests he
said, "We'll adjorn this meeting for now and continue at the same time
tomorrow."
After the diplomats left, the three Minbari telepaths arrived and
prepared for Bester. Five minutes later after the Minbari telepaths
were ready, Bester showed up and said, "One would think you didn't like
me, Captain."
"I don't. But we're on the same side," Sheridan replied. "Now,
what's so important that you had to come out here unanounced and
uninvited?"
"My sources have discovered that the Shadows up to something,"
Bester replied.
"What?" Sheridan asked, now fully listening.
"A rift in the space/time continuum was detected and ignored by
EarthForce in the Sol System. At the present time, the rift is not
near anything but the computers place the rift in orbital position for
the Earth back in the 1990's. The theory is that is *might* be
possible to enter this rift at this end and leave it into Earth's
atmosphere. It's also believed that a mere shuttle could safely travel
from somewhere in system, through the rift, and onto the 1990 Earth,"
Bester said.
"But why would ..." Sheridan asked.
"I also know that the historical records on Doctor Charles
Xavier, Scott Summers, Forge, and Jonathan Sinclair have been accessed
with a very detailed accounts of those four activities between 1990 and
2010," Bester said smugly.
"The names sound familiar but why would..." Sheridan began.
"What's become of our education system these days? Those four are
concerned by most historians to be in the top twenty most influential
people of the twenth century as well as in the top ten in the
twenty-first century," Bester said. "Imganine what our *world* would
be like without them?"
"I can't," Sheridan said. "You look tired, why don't you go into
the room next door and lie down for a minute or two."
"I am tired," Bester said while yawning. "As soon as I received
this information, I did rush it out here as fast as I could. I figure
you got the resources to do something about it." Bester headed into
the next room and laid down on the coach.
Sheridan closed the door gently, turned, and said, "That was a
very dangerous thing to do."
"Necessary," came the reply. The Vorlon Ambassador Kosh came into
the room.
"Why?" Sheridan asked.
"To save the Future, you must protect the Past," Kosh answered.
"How? We don't have any time travelling capability. To move
babylon Four we need Draal's help and that was an already open rift,"
Sheridan began.
Kosh interrupt him by saying, "Taken care of."
"What?" Sheridan said to Kosh's retreating form. "Come back
here!"
Sheridan's commlink beeped. He tapped it and said, "Sheridan.
Go."
"You have got to see this, Captain," Ivanova's voice said
excitedly.
[=== End of Prt 5 ===]