He and Earthforce must have been involved in whatever happened on Mars. Which explained his presence here. Someone else she couldn't trust. Someone else with secrets. And John's precious Earthforce had kept those secrets, had allowed IPX to send them out with incomplete information, as long as Earthforce's representative was on board. But it was Chang's deceit that hurt her the most. He had withheld facts from her about the site, the culture, and the technology. Her lack of accurate information would most likely render her research redundant or invalid or irrelevant.
He had betrayed her, in the worst way one archaeologist could betray another. She felt as if this whole expedition was a giant hoax, like the Cardiff Giant. And she'd fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. She wanted to shake Chang, to scream in his face and land a few good, solid punches with her fists, but at this point she wasn't even sure how he would react to the news that she'd watched his message. Perhaps he'd decide she needed to be removed from the expedition.
Besides, it was her turn to keep secrets now. There was only one thing she needed to tell him. She activated the corn system.
"Dr. Chang."
After a few moments, Chang appeared on the monitor in his quarters. He was back in his casual clothes, now.
"Yes?"
"I wanted to let you know that the communications system is down. It went down about twenty minutes ago. I tried to send a message out."
Chang was rocking back and forth on his feet, something she'd never seen him do.
"Yes, I know. Captain Hidalgo informed me."
She saw it in the slackness of Chang's mouth. Hidalgo had made sure that message didn't go through. She felt so stupid. Of course communications had gone out. Hidalgo must have been monitoring Chang's transmissions, seen the message she just saw, and arranged for a convenient breakdown. Chang knew he had done it, and could do nothing.
"All right then," she said.
Chang nodded his and knew why he had done it, and could do nothing.
"All right then," she said.
Chang nodded his head absentmindedly.
"Good night." "Good night."
Anna wandered out of the lab, unsure what to do. The whole expedition was falling apart aroun d her, and they hadn't even reached the site. In the passage, the music of the party enveloped her. She followed it into the conference room. The Gigmosian aspect to the party seemed to have finally ended. Churlstein, Favorito, Razor, Scott, Morden, Petrovich, and Standish were seated around the table, all drunk out of their minds, playing a heated game of poker.
"That is a three!"
Standish yelled, waving a card in front of Churlstein. Churlstein squinted, his head swaying along with the card. Morden, seated at the head of the table, saw her first. He was pounding his finger into the table, making a point to someone.
"Now you wish we'd raised the stakes," Scott said.
"Hey, Sheridan!"
She waved at Anna, a goofy grin on her face. Her short white hair was standing up every which way.
"Come help me beat the pants off these boys."
Several of them turned toward her, called encouragement.
"No thanks. I'm beat."
Morden stood, took a long gulp from his mug, and wiped all of his chips onto an empty plate.
"Deal me out," he said over the protests of the others.
He approached Anna.
"What's wrong?"
A mild look of concern moderated his smile.
"Nothing." Anna shook her head.
"I just tried to send a message to my husband and found out the communications are down."
"Oh. Well, I'm sure they'll be back on line soon. It can't be serious, can it?"
His dark eyes studied her.
"I don't know."
She looked back over at the table, her hand tapping nervously at her leg. She couldn't trust him. She couldn't trust anyone.
"It's just, you know how it is, it's the holidays, and you want to talk to someone..."
His smile rose, and she realized what she had said.
"I understand," he said.
"Oh. Listen. I almost forgot. I have something for you."
The box was in her sweater pocket. It seemed odd now, her giving him a present, but she'd done it and she might as well give it to him. She should keep acting normally.
"Sounds mysterious."
"It's just a little New Year's present. Let's go next door."
They went into the main lab, and Anna turned on one of the workstation lights, which illuminated a table and various hanging pieces of equipment. They sat on two stools on the same side of the table. The rest of the lab hung around them in shadow. Morden laid his plate of chips on the table, the harsh overhead light creating pools of shadow in his eyes, below his nose, his lips.
"That was the weirdest New Year's Eve party I've ever attended."
"Same here. But it looks like you made out pretty well," she said, indicating his pile of chips.
She realized then that Morden's pile had been the biggest of anyone's at the table. His voice was smooth.
"I'm a pretty good poker player."
"You're not drunk at all, are you?"
"I'm afraid I'm a maudlin drunk. I wouldn't have been any fun at all."
"You like misleading people, don't you?"
The words came out before she could stop them. He folded his hands, careful, noticing the change in Anna.
"Not misleading, no. I don't enjoy that. Except in poker. But I don't wear my heart on my sleeve. I don't enjoy broadcasting my private life to the world. I suppose I did that right after the explosion. I was out of control. And I regret it."
His body settled with a breath.
"But I don't go about my job the same way as Ms. Donne, if that's what you mean. I find I'm much more effective if I go about my job quietly."
"And what is your job?"
"To represent Earthforce interests in any new technology and to cooperate with IPX in as much as it furthers our mutual understanding of the technology. I've never hidden that."
His head tilted as he studied her.
"Is this an interrogation?" Anna smiled.
"I'm sorry. I guess I'm a little jumpy now that we're so close to planet fall. And I guess I'm a bit depressed, being unable to get my message out to John."
She dug the small box out of her pocket.
"But I feel blessed to have found such a love. And I know you were blessed too."
She handed it to him.
"This is to remembering, healing, and living. I hope you won't be mad."
"Why would I be mad about getting a present?"
With his smile securely fastened, he ripped away the plain paper wrapping and opened the box. He took out the love stone she had removed from his quarters yesterday. One end of the stone was now pierced by a silver loop that was attached to a silver chain. His expression remained fixed as he held it up, as if he didn't recognize it. Anna was afraid to speak, felt the growing, inexorable realization that she had unintentionally inflicted a horrible wound.
"I didn't even notice this was missing," he finally said, a musical tone to his voice.
"I just took it late yesterday," she said.
"I used to look at it every night, every day, every hour, sometimes several times in an hour. I used to go to sleep with it in my hand, and I used to wake up with it in my hand."
"Just because-"
"I didn't notice it was gone. How long did you have it? Twenty-four hours?"
Anna nodded. It was actually longer.
"I didn't notice. I didn't look."
His face spas med. In the harsh light it seemed almost something alive ripping through his features. Another spasm wrenched his face, and another. She'd never seen anyone in this much pain. It was horrible to watch, more horrible because she had caused it.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
She had ripped open the wound of the past, destroyed the callus that had begun to form. She took his hand-the one not clenched around th
e stone. It shook with the violence of a seizure. She wondered if she would be in this much pain if John died.
"You think it doesn't matter, forgetting about those you once loved? I promised to love my wife forever. And here it is, six months later, and I'm already forgetting. Twenty-four hours I didn't think of her!"
A quick spasm across his face, a glimpse into his inner world.
"Do you know that I can't hear the voice of my daughter? I can't hear it. I can watch her on our home movies and I hear her laugh and talk, but she's like a stranger. That's not what my daughter was to me-the brush of her as she went past, her smell, freshly scrubbed, the rhythm of her footsteps on the stairs, her cry of delight when I would come home from work. She's leaving me. They both are. And all I feel is relief."
They sat in silence, and after a time Anna felt his shaking begin to subside.
"I'm sorry," he said.
His face began, again, to reassemble itself.
"It's okay. I'm sorry for upsetting you."
She realized that this hurt would never go away for him. It would always be there, under the surface, no matter how deeply buried. She'd never been hurt that deeply.
"I give you this big speech about how I don't wear my heart on my sleeve, and then I break down."
He withdrew his hand from hers.
"It's okay. I understand."
Shadows pooled in his eyes.
"No, you don't. And I hope you never do."
He opened his fist, revealing the stone.
"This was very thoughtful of you."
"Not thoughtful enough, I'm afraid."
"I really do appreciate it. Thank you. Would you help me put it on?"
She took the necklace and went around behind him, opening the clasp.
"This way," he said, "I'll never be able to forget."
"I hope you'll remember that they loved you, and that they'd want you to be happy. This way you can carry their good wishes with you."
She draped the necklace around him so that the name of the god inscribed into the stone faced his chest, and fastened the clasp. She sat down beside him again. The shadows on his face were off. His features had failed to align into their old familiar facade and seemed unsettled, uncertain. She had ripped the wound open, and it would take some time for it to heal over. Perhaps, right now, there was a chance. A chance to make a real human connection intemperate by politics or secrets. She leaned closer.
"Tell me about Mars," she said.
And he did.
CHAPTER 11
General Lochschmanan turned away from the weapons control system, his aide following without making a notation on her comp-pad. John held in his smile and gave a tight nod in Ross's direction. Ross stood stiffly at attention, but there was a certain set to his shoulders that told John he was proud. John felt the same thing in his own stance. Beside Ross, Spano stood with hands clenched. He remained a problem, but John wanted to give Ross a chance to handle him. The general and his aide preceded John and Corchoran out of the weapons bay, the inspection completed, and they returned to John's office.
"You have my congratulations, Captain. The inspection was outstanding."
The smile broke over John's face.
"Thank you, sir."
Lochschmanan reached into his jacket.
"I have some more information on your mission to share with you at this time. You may fill in Commander Corchoran after I leave. This data crystal contains the scheduled time and place and the few other pieces of information we have regarding the explosives buy. It will occur in approximately thirty hours. You will make way to that location as soon as I leave. The plan of this Homeguard faction is to load the explosives onto their ship, travel to Babylon 5, and then, during the dedication ceremonies, to make a suicide run at the station, exploding on impact. Those dedication ceremonies will take place in three days.
You are to observe the transfer of explosives, using the new stealth technology we have installed to remain undetected. Wait until the Narns selling the explosives have left the area. We don't want to provoke them and create an incident.
Immediately after they have left, you must disable or destroy the Homeguard ship. It must not reach Babylon 5."
"Yes, sir."
The general made a regulation turn toward the door, hesitated.
"Captain," he said, his back to John,
"I need not remind you of the power and influence of the Homeguard."
"I understand, sir."
"Very well."
The general continued out, his aide following. Corchoran turned his glum expression on John. His frown made his dark brows even more pronounced.
"He's sending us out on a critical mission when we've barely learned how to pass inspection?"
John laid a hand on his shoulder.
"That's what I said. But I think we're ready now. We can do this."
"Tell me about this Homeguard group. What's the general's source of information?"
John waved him away.
"I'll explain later. Right now we need to get underway. And as soon as we do I want you to initiate radio silence. I don't want any specifics about this getting out to the crew. But just in case word of this does get out, and any of them happens to be a Homeguard sympathizer, I don't want to take the smallest chance that information might somehow get back to them."
"I understand, sir."
John clapped Corchoran on the shoulders.
"Cheer up, Commander. The days of drilling are over!"
* * *
The ship sang of beauty and order, the harmony of the spheres. The peace of its silent passage through space, the symmetry of its form, the unity of its functioning wove through its melody. It served willingly, faithfully. Within the song, Kosh Naranek altered its course, and the ship with joy slipped the surly bonds of gravity and turned onto its new heading. Kosh reviewed the data that had been sent to him. The perceptions of the Vorlon buoys were clear. The danger was imminent. He had known this day would come for three years. He had waited. He entered his encounter suit, sent out the communication that was his only recourse.
"Ambassador Kosh," said the one called Nerid, with a bow.
"We are honored by your call. Ambassador Delenn is just preparing to return to Babylon 5. We hear that you will be joining her there for the dedication ceremony."
Delenn approached, dismissing Nerid. She bowed, her expression anxious.
"This is most unexpected."
The voice generated by the encounter suit echoed.
"The humans have gone to Z'ha'dum."
For long moments she was silent, and he was reminded again how strongly the younger races instinctively avoided the truth.
"What possible interest could they have there? By what means could they have even found it?"
"They must be recalled."
"What will they find there?"
"The past. And the future. Stop them."
He ended the communication, having conveyed all the necessary information. Delenn liked to question, and he did not like to answer. He removed himself from the encounter suit, immersing himself again in the music, the music that would bring him to Z'ha'dum. He could do nothing there, but he must know what would happen. He would arrive just before the Earth vessel, if Delenn was unable to have it recalled. The humans themselves were of little consequence; it was the events they would trigger that would shift the currents of time and space. And he must follow.
* * *
"Meet you back at the Icarus at seventeen hundred," Chang said through the link in Anna's EVA suit.
"Good luck."
"I read you," Anna said, keeping her tone distant, impersonal.
From the small observation portal beside her seat near the front of the crawler, Anna could barely see the two crawlers carrying Chang's party turn off to the south, toward the egg and the major pillar. They had decided to start the dig with a focus on two sites: the area of the egg and the major pillar, and the area of the major cave Anna had exp
lored with the probe. Since Anna's discovery of the mice, exploring the cave had become a top priority.
Chang headed the pillar group with Churlstein, Scott, Petrovich, and Donne, while Anna headed the cave group with Morden, Favorito, Razor, and Standish. Most of the team was salivating to explore the egg. Between the uniqueness of the find and Donne's constant discussion of it, as if she were its PR agent, excitement was high. She'd questioned them all constantly about what they'd discovered about it, and particularly on their opinions regarding the inscjiption Morden had translated.
Anna had thought it odd that Chang had been willing to give up a space in his party to Donne. His assignment of Donne to his party was even more peculiar given the message Anna had discovered. If Chang knew Donne was planning to smuggle artifacts, why take her to see the most prized find so far?
But Chang had assigned Donne to his party. He probably wanted to keep an eye on her. Anna was grateful. Let them deal with all their plots and counterplots. Maybe she could get some actual archaeology done. Each group had two crawlers and, in addition to the members of the archaeological team, forty techs from the science support crew. Anna had briefed the techs herself, all the while wondering which of them were part of Donne and Hidalgo's plan, which of them would try to steal artifacts. Out of them all she could put names to only a handful. As her crawler stopped in front of the cave site, Anna pulled herself out of her chair in the bulky EVA suit.
She wished they didn't have to wear them; the atmospheric analysis had revealed oxygen with some harmless miscellaneous components, but it had also showed low levels of carbon monoxide. The ship's doctor had explained that over perhaps twenty to twenty-five hours, this carbon monoxide would build up in the blood, preventing oxygen from binding to the hemoglobin as it should. The result would be death. Even so, breathers and jumpsuits were all the protection necessary. No hazards had been detected that would require a full EVA suit, and the temperature, with a daytime average of fifty degrees, was well within habitable limits. Unfortunately, this was standard first-contact protocol.
Babylon 5 07 - The Shadow Within (Cavelos, Jeanne) Page 12