"This is vital," Sheridan repeated. "It must be done as soon as possible, and this must not fail. Do you understand?"
"Understanding," hissed the Drakh. "We shall not fail...."
"Good," Sheridan said. He closed his eyes and saw Clark, and a moment later, he saw his son. John would be coming for Proxima soon, and he would be bringing the Vorlons with him. It was essential that they all do what was necessary to stop this. Clark had to be theirs.
He had to be.
"Then go."
"The Dark Masters will watch us," the Drakh said. "By their will...."
"By their will," Sheridan repeated. Sometimes the Drakh terrified him. Sometimes a great many things terrified him.
"What will you need?"
"ID to get into the hospital building, and out again. Preferably an ambulance driver's ID. That will be for Dexter."
"I can get you that. Anything else?"
"A lapse in security around Delenn's ward. Lasting for as long as possible without arousing suspicion."
"I can manage that. I can't remove all the Security presence, as shift changes are staggered. You have the map of the hospital facility?"
"Yes."
"The guards stationed at positions A, C and F are changed at nineteen hundred hours each night. I will be able to arrange for their replacements to be a little late, although fifteen minutes is all. That will leave the guards at B, D, E and G."
"I can get past the ones at B and E, and D is likely to be too far away. That will just leave the two at G, Delenn's bedside. I will deal with them."
"Don't kill them! Not unless you absolutely have to. They're good men, and they're just doing their job."
"Obeying orders? Yes, I've heard that before. Don't worry. I don't like killing people. I have.... ways of making them fall asleep. Totally harmless."
"Good. You're going in tonight?"
"Can we leave it another day?"
"No. Delenn's condition is improving.... slightly. She's now conscious and aware for longer and longer periods of time. Clark's on at me to get her back to the interrogation chamber. It has to be tonight. I'll see you get the relevant IDs and computer codes as soon as possible."
"Good. You won't need to contact us to find out if this has worked. You'll know. Get in touch again this time tomorrow, if it does. You can then take her off our hands and arrange the payment."
"Will do. Good luck."
"We shouldn't need luck."
Welles had completed the first part of his promise at least. ID codes confirming Talia as a physician's assistant and Dexter as an ambulance driver arrived by some unknown courier less than an hour after the message had concluded. Also included were details of all the pass codes and computer codes necessary.
Talia had made her share of false IDs in her time, and these certainly looked as if they would work.
As to whether Welles had been successful in delaying the security changes, that would have to wait. She had taken care to memorise the map of the hospital complex, and she and Dexter had gone over the plan until he could recite it in his sleep. She was still sceptical about this whole endeavour, but Welles had been telling the truth, and Dexter had talked her into it.
Besides, the reward offered was certainly worthwhile.
And now they had accepted the mission, she devoted her every effort to completing it.
She checked her watch. 18:52. Perfect. The shifts at point C would be changing soon. She could get past them on the way in, assuming Welles' ID worked, and she should have enough time to get herself and Delenn out before the changeover occurred.
One of the guards stepped forward to her. "ID?" She passed the card over to him, and he ran it through his security device. The other guard looked at her closely. She was breathing quietly and standing naturally, as though this were a routine she had gone through a hundred times before.
"Checks out," said the guard, handing her back the card.
"I don't recognise you," said the other.
"I normally work at the Ellison Building in Sector Two–o–nine," she replied glibly. "They're short–handed over here tonight, so I was called in to help out."
The guard looked a little suspicious, but then nodded. "In you go."
Talia passed through the first checkpoint, into the hospital complex itself. She kept her breathing under control, reliving the map of the layout in her mind. She could see every corridor, every turn and corner and room. Every security checkpoint.
And she could see her final destination. The room where Delenn herself lay.
Full of determination, Talia headed on her way.
Sinoval had seen many wonders in his life, images that would stay with him forever. The huge archway that led to the Well of Souls; the sight of Earth beneath his feet, lost and helpless; the vision of Valen in the Dreaming as Varmain had died.
All of these paled before the simple wonder on the face of a madman and a betrayer.
Marrain walked slowly through the hallway, his eyes alight. As Sinoval looked around, he saw nothing but a decaying and barren relic of an ancient war, left in a forsaken place to die. He remembered the last time he had been here, seeing a tiny ray of hope in this place. It had changed greatly since then. Although only a year or so had passed for him, an entire millennium had gone by for this station.
He saw nothing but rust and decay and the erosion of a once–mighty fortress, but then he supposed he had no romance in his soul.
For Marrain, it was something else.
"It was here," he whispered, looking around. "Here, we met Valen.... and just over there a Shadow Warrior attacked us. It had got on board somehow and Parlonn and I.... we fought it back to back. It slashed my chest open, and left a scar...."
He paused. There would be no scar, of course. Not on this body. It was not his after all. It was a dead body, infused with a soul departed more than nine centuries.
"They are dead now. Everyone. Valen, Derannimer, Parlonn, Nukenn.... Even Nemain and Mannamann. They were both so young then. Dead for centuries now.
"All dead.... save the two of us." He looked into the shadows. "I, the Betrayer, and Anla'Verenn–veni. The Place Of Restored Dreams. That was what we called it. A priestling name of course, but.... an apt one.... even for a hardened warrior like myself."
He closed his eyes, his body shaking. "Where are your dreams now, Anla'Verenn–veni? Where are your glories, your triumphs, your holy places? Lost and gone to the three winds, all of them. Dead, dead, dead....
"All is dead. All lives and all dies, and all decays and withers."
His eyes opened, and a fierce darkness burned from within him. He pointed at Sinoval. "You will die." And then at Kats. "And you.... I can see it in you, past the facade of your beauty, beyond the mask you create for yourself, beneath the illusions and the masquerades....
"There is only death.
"But not for me," he added plaintively. "All die, but Marrain, the Betrayer."
"All die," Sinoval said firmly, looking at Kats. She was shaken, but firm. He heard her whispering a soft prayer under her breath, and he suddenly realised why. For an instant, in Marrain's rant, she would have seen Kalain, her torturer. He reached out a hand to steady her, but she pulled away. Her eyes flashed a brief thanks to him.
"We all die, even Marrain, the Betrayer. Do as we have spoken, and your death shall be an honourable one."
"What is honour to the dead? Do you think Parlonn cares that I gave my honour to save his? No, he is dead, his body and bones dust in a distant world. Do you think Derannimer's dead carcass cared that I loved her? No, she is gone.
"All are gone."
"But there are those who live now, Marrain. The now is all we have, all you have. You have been given another chance at life, an opportunity to undo the mistakes you made before.