Renegade Heart Part 1 "Where’s Ivanova?" Sheridan asked as the others entered his office for their usual staff meeting. "You mean she isn’t here already?" Allen asked as he looked around the large room. "No, I haven’t seen her all day. I thought she had just taken a day off for once," Sheridan commented as he tentatively sat down on the couch beside him. "Franklin to Ivanova," the dark skinned doctor called into the small metallic communicator attached firmly to the back of his hand. There was no answer. "I’ll go find her," Allen offered standing up in preparation to leave. "No, I’ve got another person in mind," Franklin quickly interjected lifting his hand to stop the younger man from exiting. "Who?" the captain requested, his curiosity spiked at the certainty found in his friends voice. "Marcus," Franklin stated plainly. "I mean think about it. He has means by which to find her that most of us don’t even know exist. Plus he won’t give up until he finds her. He won’t just settle for a message over Babcom, or some other piece of info, no matter how sure he is that it is genuine. He’ll search until he finds Susan, in the flesh, with him." "True, but chances are all we have to do really is trace her link." "Not Ivanova. She wears it everywhere, all the time no matter what she is doing. She jumps whenever she hears it, even if she’s asleep she notices it." "Okay, but why Marcus? Any Ranger, if given the order by Delenn would do the exact same thing. Why does it have to be him?" "Because he has a little extra incentive," Franklin laughed as he leaned over the plush back of the chair he was standing behind. "He’s in love her with her." Everyone just looked at him. -|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|- "What do you want with me?" the woman yelled as her captors pulled her forward. She was blindfolded, her wrists were tied together, and her arms were tied down against her sides with a coarse rope. "Shut up Bitch! It’s not you that were after, just what you know. After we get through with you, you can go," a gruff voice told her hoarsely. Letting herself go completely limp, she fell heavily onto the hard, cold floor, hoping desperately that they might just leave her there. No such luck, they just continued to pull her forward using the ropes, dragging her across the floor. "Davis," another man called out when they finally stopped moving. "Put the broad on the ship, and take her to Jones." Large, unfamiliar arms picked her delicately up off of the floor, and placed her onto a colder, metallic surface. "You know what dame. If you didn’t have an appointment with my boss I’d be having a lot more fun right about now." "I bet you would," she countered as she pushed herself onto her knees. She could here the whine of engines around her, and knew that they were leaving. "Now be nice, and take off this blindfold will ye?" she seductively asked him, leaning forward just a little. "You bet, now that you’re in here you can’t escape. I have the commands locked Sweet Pea," he said as he removed the dark cloth from around her eyes. "Ain’t that better?" he asked as he touched her face. "Thanks," her voice was dripping with sarcasm as she spoke. She watched in silence as he removed the rest of her bindings, and pushed her onto her back. "Why do you want me?" she hesitantly asked. "What you know pretty lady." "Why, what do I know?" "Enough to hurt President Clark dear lady." "Why odes he want me? I’m a renegade remember. He wants me dead, he knows exactly what I know." "It’s a little more complicated than that. He has plans for you. Big Plans." He fumbled with her shirt as she looked up at him in disgust. "What the hell do you think you’re doing?" "You see, I get you for the next oh… five hours. Until then, you’re mine. If this is what I want, you have no choice but to do as I ask." "Like hell I will. Get off me," she struggled, trying to kick him, only to be pushed against the wall, and into a pair of manacles. "I love it when my women fight. I just adore a strong will." -|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|- "What!" the dark haired Ranger exclaimed violently as he sharply stood out of his seat. "Commander Ivanova is missing. No one has been able to find her all day, and she hasn’t accessed the computer since 05;15 this morning. We need for you to find her," Delenn watched as her troubled friend began to pace. Unconsciously she reached up, and began to play with the ends of her shiny brown tresses. "Why me?" "Because we can trust you." "You can trust any damn Ranger. Why me? "Because Marcus, you love her. We know you, even if we don’t ask you to go, you’ll go after her anyway. That is just the way you are." "Who told you?" "How you feel for the commander. It was very obvious. The way you act around her. You act like a man who is after something, something important enough to die for, a sign. You do all that you can to be near to her as much as possible. Arrange for unusual resolutions just so that she needs to come along with you. You light up whenever she enters the room. It is more than obvious that your feelings for her are deeper than you might have us believe." "And so you wish me to find her because you know that until I know that she is safe I will not be whole?" "Yes. She has become a part of you Marcus. You finally let yourself live again, because you see that life has left you some good things." "Like her. I will not fail you En’til’zha, I promise. I will not fail her." -|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|- "Let go of me!" she screamed as he reached out to touch her now naked form. "Oh no. Every man has to get there kicks somehow. You Missy, are mine," with that he returned to his fierce torture of her body. Shaming her, and disgracing himself, yet somehow enjoying the long torturous time she unwillingly spent there with him. And as he left her ravaged figure, bruised from his evil passions she gently cried out for the one she truly loved, "Marcus…."