Address criticisms to [xazqrten@cox.net]

******************************

In Susan's apartment about two and a half weeks after the restroom 'incident':

   "I'm going to take a shower, Charley. Then we can eat the dinner you fixed. 
It smells delicious." Susan was almost finished with her shower when she heard 
Charley call to her.

   "Susan, you should get out here and watch this," said Charley loudly.

   "Record it for me!" she yelled back.

   Sitting on the sofa wrapped in a very large bath towel, General Susan
Ivanova-Wayne watched the video playback of her friend's arrest. "I wonder
what she's up to. You know she let them arrest her."

   "What makes you think so?"

   "You really don't know anything about Lyta, do you?"

   "I know she’s a very powerful telepath. She never said anything about any
other abilities."

   Susan started telling Charley all she knew about her friend and her
abilities. They watched a video of the shooting that had been recorded in San
Francisco. At the end of this, Charley looked at her, stunned by the 
information she had given him. "My God. Who could imagine anyone having that 
much power?"

   "Charley, I told you what I know. It doesn't mean that's all there is to
her abilities."

   "How can a human have those kinds of abilities?"

   "Charley, Lyta isn't human anymore. She's as far above you and me as we are 
above an average, intelligent lab rat."

   "And you still call her a friend?"

   "Don't you?"

   "I never had to think about it before this?"

   "What's to think about. Has she ever treated you with anything but respect?
Hell, you can't even say that about me."

   "You're right. She's always treated me with respect."

   "Then she doesn't see you as little more than a lab rat."

   Charley chewed on his lower lip as he thought all of this over. 

   Supper was a reserved affair. 

   "How are things in class?"

   "The work is going along just fine. These people they have teaching us,
now, really know their business. You can ask questions and get good answers. 
I wish it had been like this from the start. Instead, we got an incompetent 
jerk for the first week and a half."

   "How is your friend reacting to learning that you're a telepath?"

   "She hasn't told anyone else in class. I think she’s accepting that I'm
not some kind of monster. Psi Corps really left a nasty legacy. Her learning 
that I'd spent virtually all my life hiding from the corps, while carving out a
military career, has helped greatly in her accepting me. I'm lucky, I was
never in the corps, so I don't have that baggage to carry around. You, now, are 
another story. She doesn't understand how I could ever fall in love with a
former psi cop."

   "Let's not get into that. I'd rather forget those days. Besides, I haven't
seen you in more than two weeks. We have some catching up to do."

   "Speaking of catching up, I've been invited to dinner Saturday night by the
guy who runs the company. It turns out I used to be his wingman a few years
back. He wants me to meet his wife and kids. You're invited if you're going to 
be here."

******************************

In the classroom, four days after Lyta's arrest:

   Susan and her classmates were sitting discussing the days lessons when
Their instructor came into the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Howard 
Goens. I'll be your instructor for the next several days. Before we get 
started, may I ask if any of you have heard the latest news?" 

   He received a "no" for an answer.

   "It was on the news this morning, there was an accident at someplace called 
Nevada Facility Number Four. The base blew up."

   Susan momentarily stiffened at the mention of the base's name. "What do you 
mean, 'it blew up'?"

   "The news item said it was some kind of nuclear accident, several megatons 
worth."

   "Were there any survivors?" asked Linda Meyers.

   "They showed a big hole in the ground about five kilometers across and
rather deep, and said it was where the base used to be. You seem to know about 
the base, Mrs. Wayne." 

   "I heard of it years ago. There were rumors about it, but nothing was ever
proven," said Susan.

   "I hadn't heard about it before. What was it supposed to be used for?"
asked Goens.

   "Many years ago when I was a young woman, I heard a rumor that it was
supposed to be a biological weapons development facility. However, as I said, 
it was never more than a rumor, and it was closed down several years ago. At 
least that's what I heard," replied Susan.

   Goens had a feeling that Susan knew much more that she had hinted at. "It
seems to bother you, Mrs. Wayne. Would I be out of line if I asked why?"

   "If you were watching the news four days ago, you saw the arrest of a woman 
named Lyta Alexander. She is or was my best friend."

   Goens and the rest of Susan's classmates waited for her to continue.

   "She was the leader of the rebel telepaths during 'The Telepath War'.
Apparently, when they gave all the Psi Corps people and rebels amnesty, 
Lyta wasn't included, so they arrested her on the outstanding warrant in 
San Francisco four days ago. Last night, when I returned to my apartment, 
I found a data crystal recording on my communications unit control pad and 
a message recording. They moved Lyta from the jail cell in San Francisco to 
the Nevada Facility Number Four yesterday. She was still there when it was 
destroyed. Don't ask me why they would take her there, because I don't have 
a clue. Like I said, I thought it was closed down. The odd thing is that 
there were about three thousand civilians on the base when it went up. 
Anybody want to venture a guess as to what that might mean?"

    "She must have done some pretty terrible things to not be included in 
the general amnesty," said Goens.

   "Actually, she prevented many atrocities during the event, but that may 
be a moot point now," replied Susan.

   "Your best friend was a telepath?" asked her classmate Warren Belding.

   "You find that odd?" asked Susan.

   "I've never personally met a telepath, Susan. All I know is what passes for
news, and rumors. I think most of us fall into that category."

   "Warren. How much do you know about the Vorlon-Shadow War? For that matter, 
do any of you really know anything about it? After all, it's the reason 'The 
Interstellar Alliance' was formed?"

   "I heard a few rumors that it had something to do with some aliens referred
to as 'old ones' and some of the non-aligned worlds," offered Linda Mathers.

   "Why don't you enlighten us, Mrs. Wayne?" asked Goens. "That's if it
doesn't take too long."

   Susan gave them a condensed version of the history leading up to and the
particulars of the Vorlon-Shadow War. She was very explicit about the part
that was played by rogue telepaths and Lyta Alexander in particular. She told 
it all including her talk with Lorien, who he was, and she managed to never 
tell them about her being in the military and exactly where she fit into the 
scheme of things. She always explained that she worked for the station staff as 
a personnel and material manager. When she told them about Lyta's experiences 
after the Vorlon-Shadow War and how her butt had been saved on several 
occasions, she did it, again, without admitting that she was actually in the 
military. After she had finished, she asked if anyone had any questions.  No 
one replied to her last statement.

   "For what it's worth, I believe Lyta was on that base up to about the time
that the nuclear device detonated, but I think she was gone just before it
actually exploded. I can't prove it one way or the other, and there sure as
hell won't be a body left."
               
   "You make it sound almost like she is just short of being God," said
Warren.

   "None of you has ever met a member of the 'old ones'. You don't know what 
one of those beings could do with just a thought. There were Psi Corps 
experiments that were meant to increase the telepathic powers of telepaths by 
several magnitudes. As a  result of a mistake during one of the experiments, a 
telepath named Ironheart was thrown into a super-fast period of evolution. He 
evolved into a being similar to the 'old ones' within a matter of days. He 
couldn't really control his abilities, and damned near destroyed Babylon 5. He 
left the station and immediately evolved into an energy being, and vanished 
into the universe. Lyta has all of his powers and more. The difference is that 
hers were the result of generations of genetic manipulation by the Vorlons. Her 
ability to use them evolved over several years, and she has complete control of 
them. To put it bluntly, she can kill every living sentient being on Earth with 
a few mere thoughts. She is at least as powerful as Lorien, and she may even be 
immortal, whatever that turns out to be." The class was silent for several 
minutes after Susan stopped speaking. 

   Finally, Goens said, "If you're ready we can begin the lesson at any time."

******************************

Saturday night at Wallace Ashley's home:

   "Come in Mrs. Wayne," said Wallace Ashley. "Where's your husband?"

   "He couldn't get away from the job this weekend. It seems that things have
gotten tense there. He won't tell me what he's doing. It's all hush-hush, if
you know what I mean."

   Knowing what he did about Susan, Wallace wondered if she were really out of 
the loop or just feigning it. Considering her rank, which she didn't know he 
was aware of, he could believe either scenario. If she had no need to know, she 
probably wouldn't be in the loop. Wallace had been able to determine that 
Susan's husband was a former psi cop who had worked for Earthforce in the past. 
Susan had hated the Psi Corps and everything associated with it. He was curious 
that she would end up married to a psi cop. "I hope you don't mind that I 
invited a few friends over. I don't entertain very often."

   "It's your dinner, Mr. Ashley. I'm only a guest."

   A teen-age boy no more than fourteen years old came up behind his father
And asked, "Dad. Is this the woman you taught to fly?"

   "She’s one of the many pilots that I trained, Bobby.  Bobby, meet Mrs.
Susan Ivanova-Wayne."

   Susan offered her right hand, and said, "I'm pleased to meet you, Bobby. Am 
I correct in assuming that your given name is Robert?"

   The boy shook her hand and shook his head yes. "You're beautiful."

   "I bet he says that to all your female guests."

   "You’re the first," replied Wallace. "Come on into the front room. I want
you to meet the other members of my family."

   Susan looked around carefully and said, "You've done right well for
yourself, Wallace."

   "Call me Wally, Susan. You never called me Wallace before."

   "I didn't know any better back then."

   "You're to blame for all this. You didn't know that did you?"

   Susan looked confused. "No. No I didn't." 

   They entered the front room. It was huge by any standards Susan was
familiar with. There was a woman and a young girl here. "Sweetheart, this is 
the woman I've been telling you about. Her husband couldn't be here."

   "I'm pleased to meet you, Mrs. Wayne. Wally has been talking about you for a 
couple of weeks now. I have been looking forward to this."

   Susan wasn't sure what to think about that information. Her telepathic
ability picked up on what most people called 'bad vibes' from Ashley's wife
and daughter.

   "Wally has been blaming you for everything you can think of all the way
back to the sinking of the Titanic," commented his wife.

   Susan didn't answer. The feelings she detected coming from Ashley's wife
Were positively hostile. It was as if Ashley's wife considered her a competitor. 

   Ashley, his wife and children sat down, but Susan remained standing. "Is
there something wrong, Susan?" asked Wallace.

   Susan just looked from one family member to the other. She still said 
nothing, but she decided that coming here hadn't been such a good idea after
all. She was glad, now, that Charley had not been able to make it for the
dinner. From where she stood, Susan concluded that making an excuse; any
excuse and leaving would be a good idea.

   "Why don't you sit down, Susan?" asked Wallace.

   "I have to go, Mr. Ashley. Mrs. Ashley, It was interesting to meet you."

   "I don't understand, Susan. What's wrong?"

   "I won't stay where I'm not wanted or welcome."

   "What makes you feel unwelcome?"

   "Your wife and daughter both want me gone. They didn't want me to come in 
the first place."

   Ashley's face lost its humorous expression. "That's not true, Susan."

   "You and I were friends a very long time ago. Let's leave it at that. Your
wife apparently considers me a competitor, even though there was never
anything between us, even back then."

   "What could make you think that my wife doesn't like you?"

   Susan tapped her head.

   "What in hell is that supposed to mean?"

   "About four months ago, the night I met my husband, who happens to be a
former psi cop, my latent telepathic ability reared its ugly head. Didn't you
wonder why I've always hated the Psi Corps, and anyone who had anything to do 
with it, Mr. Ashley? I'm a damned telepath, and now I'm married to a former psi 
cop."

   Ashley just looked at her. Then he looked at his wife. "You think I have a
thing for her?"

   "Yes. She's all you've talked about for the last two weeks. What am I
supposed to think?"

   "You two have something to reconcile. I won't be part of it. I'm leaving."
Susan held up her hand to forestall any argument. "I don't want to hear it."
She walked out and never looked back. A few moments later, they heard the front 
door open and close.

   "Thank you very much, Helen. I appreciate your efforts," said Ashley.

   "I'm tired of hearing about her. What's so damned special about her?"

   "When I told you that I owe all I have to her, you misunderstood. I meant
you and the kids and the whole shooting match. Susan was why I was transferred 
out of fighters. I got into trouble on what turned out to be my last flight. 
She destroyed four fighters that were trying to destroy me. I told you about 
being kicked out of fighters, but I never told you how they found out about the 
problem. During the mission, we had to go deep into a planet's atmosphere, and 
I became disoriented and unable to defend myself. When we reviewed the data 
recorded during the mission, we discovered that she had pulled half again as 
many 'Gs' as a human is supposed to be able to endure without losing 
consciousness, and she had done it a number of times in order to outmaneuver 
the fighters she destroyed. I owe her my life several times over. We never 
dated or anything like that. She was my wingman, and she was all business. Do I 
love her? You bet your life, but not as a lover. I love her like I do my own 
sister."

   "Didn't you hate her for getting you kicked out of fighters?"

   "At first I did, but when I learned why I'd never be able to fly fighters
again, I realized that she had acted in my best interests when she reported
the situation. She had lost her brother, who was a fighter pilot, in the Earth-
Minbar War. She wouldn't allow herself to have a relationship with any of her 
comrades. Being her wingman made that go triple for me."

   "Do you believe she is really a telepath?"

   "What does that have to do with anything? You don't hate her for being a
telepath. Besides, she knew that you didn't like her and felt that she was a
threat. Either she is a telepath, or she really knows how to read body
language. I wouldn't be surprised if she isn't both. Really strong thoughts, 
especially those resulting from intense feelings, are hard for a telepath to 
block out."

   "I suppose I should apologize to her?"

   "She doesn't accept apologies. She never has. She won't come to this house
again, so it's a moot point. She has an odd thing about not going where she
isn't wanted."

   "I thought she was an old girlfriend."

   "That's crap. I told you all about her over the last two weeks. Obviously
you weren't paying attention."

   "Okay. You're right. I didn't bother to listen."

   At that moment the doorbell rang. "That will be the Goldsteins. Old Frank
Is a stickler for being on time," noted Wallace.

   Bobby showed the Goldsteins into the front room. "Wally, Helen. I thought I 
saw the Wayne woman walking down the street as I turned into your drive."

   "You probably did. She left here a few minutes ago."

   "I thought you invited her to dinner?"

   "I did, Frank. However, Helen didn't."

   "Always blame me," snapped Helen.

   Frank looked at his wife. She said, "Maybe we should go, dear. I think
Wallace and Helen need some time to themselves."

   "That's not necessary, Julia. I did screw things up with Wally's friend,
but there is nothing I can do about that now."

   "What did you say to her?" asked Julia.

   "It wasn't what I said. It was what I was thinking."

   "I don't understand."

   "It seems, Julia, that she is a telepath," said Helen matter-of-factly. 

   "My God," said Frank.

   "She is full of surprises," remarked Wallace.

   Two more couples arrived within the next five minutes and the dinner got
underway. Wallace had invited his personal financial advisor and his favorite
golfing partner.

****************************** 

On the way to the local transit station:

   Susan had noted that it was only a ten-minute ride from the transit station
to the Ashley residence. Since it wasn't more than ten kilometers, she could
walk it in about an hour and a half. She decided that the walk would give her
time to reflect on a number of things. Fortunately, she had worn her new
walking shoes. They were safety-walking shoes and looked much like a pair of hi-
tech tennis shoes. She hadn't brought her denn'bok, but then she hadn't 
expected to be out walking like this in an unfamiliar area. The toe protection 
of the shoes provided her with a weapon of sorts.

   Susan had set a good pace for herself and was more that halfway to the
transit station. There had been a dozen or so cars pass her going in either
direction. The one that caught her attention was one that had passed then
turned to go in the opposite direction. A few minutes later it passed her again 
and stopped less than thirty meters in front of her. She used her portable 
phone to make an emergency call. When the operator answered, Susan explained 
the situation. The operator was reluctant to act on her call until Susan told 
her she was a telepath and knew that the men intended to harm her. Even this 
didn't get much reaction from the operator. Susan then told her that she had 
her operator number, and that if she had to kill these men, the responsibility 
would fall on the operator for not responding in a timely fashion. At this 
point, the operator called the nearest patrol car.

******************************

   In patrol car 314, officer Paul Jones took the call and said to his
partner, "That's just a half a klick up the road. Kill the lights and use the
infra-red. I don't want to spook these bastards." In less than two minutes, 
they were coming around a turn in the road and saw a figure being flanked by 
three other figures.

******************************

   The car just sat there, and Susan continued walking toward it. Not being
brain dead, Susan's psi ability had caused her to pick up the thoughts of the
car's occupants and realize she was walking into a bad situation, but with her
being afoot, and whoever was in the car being in a car, doing anything else
wasn't really an option. She began to run scenarios through her head about how 
she would react to whatever transpired. She decided that she was going to hurt 
these people very badly, if she didn't kill them.

   Before she got to the can Susan was able to count the four heads she'd
already 'felt'. As she drew abreast of the car the occupant in the front
passenger seat lowered the window and a male voice said, "Can we give you a ride?"

   The type of car, the way the passenger had asked the question, and the
occupants stray thoughts told Susan that these were rich kids looking for 
some 'fun'. She didn't think they were going to enjoy the 'fun' she would 
provide. "No thank you. I prefer to walk," she replied, continuing to walk past 
the car. Surely enough, the car began to move pacing her.

   "You aren't very hospitable," said the voice.

   "I recommend that you boys go on about your business and leave me to mine," 
countered Susan.

   The car stopped just ahead of Susan and three young men exited it. [Here it
Comes,] she thought.

   The young men separated and approached her from three sides. "I told you we 
would give you a ride," said the one that exited from the front passenger side 
of the car.

   Susan stopped and studied them carefully. There was a streetlight almost
overhead and just behind her, and its light showed her the young men's faces
quite clearly. She could tell from their expressions and their thoughts that
they had done this before. She lowered her mental barriers and proceeded to
sort through their surface thoughts. There it was, as plain as if they were
screaming it out loud. They intended to abduct and rape her. The one who had 
spoken was loudly broadcasting the details of what he wanted to do, and rape 
would just be the beginning. She made her decision, and then started walking 
toward the young men. If she did this just right, she might not have to kill 
them. She kept thinking that they were just kids, even if they were attempting 
to commit an adult crime.

   As Susan moved toward the young men, the talker pulled something from
behind his back. Susan already knew it was a 'taser' type of device, and as he
Brought it around his body, she took two quick steps forward and then one to 
her right, twisting as she did. The spinning back kick impacted the center of 
the man's chest and he went sprawling backward onto the grass. Without 
hesitation, Susan proceeded to attack the two remaining men. One she kicked in 
the mid-section, leaving him on the ground gasping for breath. The third she 
hit in the mouth with two quick straight-from-the-shoulder punches, sending him 
to the ground spitting broken teeth from broken jaws.

   The car driver was watching the proceedings so intently that he never saw
The police car until it was blocking the front of his vehicle with its lights
flashing. The officers were out of the patrol car in a moment, and one of them 
pulled the young driver out of his car while the other officer walked quickly 
over to Susan. "Miss, are you okay?" asked the officer. Looking around, he 
said, "Maybe the right question is 'Are they all right?'?"

   "The one moaning has a broken jaw and a lot of broken teeth. The one
gasping was kicked in the stomach area. He probably has internal injuries. The 
one with the weapon was kicked in the sternum. He most likely has a fractured 
sternum, bruised heart and possibly a damaged lung. I don't know what the 
weapon he has is exactly, but he fired it at me and missed," explained Susan.

   The officer bent down and inspected the weapon and declared, "Hey, Paul.
Look here. This bastard has a military stun gun in his hand. Call the station. I
think the Special Investigations Division (SID) boys are going to want to work 
this one." His partner made the call, then came over and handcuffed the other 
young men.

   Susan just stood and watched the officers give the area the once over. "I
called the meat wagon, Rolly. It should be here in about ten minutes or so."
He then looked closely at the men on the ground and commented, "Are these guys 
who I think they are?"

   "They sure are," noted Rolly.

   "Would either of you gentlemen care to clue me in?" asked Susan.

   "While we wait, I'll take your statement, Miss," said Paul.

   "It's Mrs. Susan Ivanova-Wayne, officer."

   Susan spent the next ten minutes giving the officer her statement. She left
out any references to her telepathic abilities, and her military background,
until Paul asked for her identification. "If it isn't necessary, I'd prefer my
military connection not be part of the report."

   "Mrs. Wayne, you crippled the sons of three very wealthy families. It's
apparent that it was an attempt to assault and abduct you. However, the
lawyers these families employ will try to make it appear that you broke into a 
church and implemented an unwarranted attack on them while they were singing at 
choir practice. The big thing going for us is your position, and the military 
stun gun. Civilians are not allowed to possess one of them under any 
circumstances. We have some investigators that have been dreaming of just such 
a find. There have been numerous abductions with gang rape and beating being 
the modus operandi. Because these boys assaulted you, we have the right to take 
DNA samples from them. If we get some cold hits, so much the better."

   "Then maybe I should tell you that I'm also a telepath."

   "Is that how you knew what they were intending to do?"

   "Not only that, but they had very strong thoughts of others they have
victimized."

   "Mrs. Wayne, several of the victims I mentioned died of their injuries."

   "I'm sorry about that."

   "If these creeps turn out to be the guilty parties, you won't have anything
to be sorry for."

   The ambulances and investigators arrived less than ten minutes after Susan
had given her statement to the officer. The boys were taken away to the local
hospital and their driver was taken to jail. As the emergency vehicles were
leaving, one of the investigators approached Susan. "I'm going to need for you 
to come down to the station and give your statement again, Mrs. Wayne. Then 
we’ll type it up for your signature."

   "Whatever is necessary, officer."

   "It's Detective Sergeant Hank Lewis, Mrs. Wayne. I take it you don't want
to be called 'general'."

   "Not unless I'm functioning in my military capacity, and that isn't the
situation here."

******************************

At Wallace Ashley's home:

   The meal was over and Wallace had led his guests into the family movie
room. As his guests were seating themselves, Wallace explained what they were 
going to watch. His wife complained that she was sick of this Ivanova worship 
that possessed her husband. Wallace told her to shut up and sit down.

   "I intended for Susan to be here for this, but I'll show all of you anyway.
What you’re going to be seeing is 'gun camera footage' that I have had for a
great many years." Looking at his wife, he said, "Just watch and learn. The
first few crystals were shot during the training sessions of the last class of
student flight cadets that I had the pleasure of teaching."

   The videos took forty minutes to run while Wallace commented on each pilot 
trainee and their good points. Susan's early training flights were included. 
Wallace's explanations were very thorough. "As you have seen, I had the 
pleasure of training some very fine pilots. Most of them are long dead. A 
fighter pilot's life is exciting, but usually all too brief. Susan is an 
exception. She was a fantastic pilot and she's still alive. These next videos 
will show you why I'm still here."

   As the videos from Susan's gun cameras showed, she had been in some very 
nasty firefights, and had on a regular basis overcame bad odds to live and 
fight another day. Wallace made sure that they all understood when Susan had 
saved his life. "It is physically impossible for male pilot to pull the 'Gs' 
that she did and remain conscious. Females can handle 'G' forces better than 
males, but under normal circumstances, Susan would have blacked out too."

   "Why didn't she?" asked Goldstein.

   "Susan believes in winning and surviving. About a quarter of the way
through her flight training, she took her own money and had her flight suit 
customized and modified. It provided much higher pressures to help keep her 
blood from pooling without setting off the safety monitors in her cockpit. She 
abused her body very badly to gain a fighting advantage. That's why I'm alive 
today, and why she survived when her fellow pilots perished. For you honey, I 
never dated Susan Ivanova. She was too much of a professional. I do love her 
like a sister. She was there for me when it counted, and she never let a 
wingman down. She never backs down, and she never quits. One last video." The 
video showed Susan in her underwear with bruises all over her body.

   "What is that?" demanded his wife.

   "After the last fight I showed you, the one where she saved me from four
attackers, and we returned to the ship, Susan didn't undress with the rest of
us. She went to her quarters still wearing her flight suit. This video was
shot by her roommate. The bruises are from putting enough pressure into her 
flight suit to allow her handle the 'G' forces necessary to take out those four
fighters. No one, except me and her former roommate, has ever seen this video 
until now. Somehow it took years for the brass to learn what she was doing. As 
a result they redesigned the standard flight suit." Looking at his wife with 
tears in his eyes, he asked, "Do you understand now?"

   Looking at everything and everybody in the room except her husband, Helen 
Ashley quietly said, "Yes."

   Wallace's financial advisor, Patrick Harrison, asked, "You don't think she
would be interested in a political career, do you?"

   "As far as I know, she never had any aspirations beyond being the best
fighter pilot in Earthforce. She managed that quite well. I can ask her Monday 
if you're serious," replied Wallace.

   "Are you kidding, with her background, she'd be a shoo-in after what we've
had over the last eight years or so."

******************************

In the local hospital:

   "When can I see him?" inquired the well-dressed gentleman of the emergency 
room doctor.

   "We are still evaluating his injuries. The damage he suffered is more
extensive that first appearances would indicate. He has a broken sternum and
several fractured ribs, a badly bruised heart and a collapsed lung. We have to
get the lung working properly first, then we'll see."

   A police officer was watching this exchange. He walked over to the well
dressed gentleman. "You're the kid's father?"

   Looking at the officer like he was viewing something a dog left, the man
asked, "Who did this?"

   "I'm told it was his intended victim."

   "What intended victim?"

   "The young woman he tried to shoot with a military stun gun."

   This revelation caused the man to stop and think for a moment. The officer
continued, "He's under arrest for attempted assault and abduction. When he's
able, we will transport him to jail and process him. Until then, I suggest you
get him an attorney. He's going to need one."

   "We'll see about that. I'll be damned if I let some slut ruin my son and
send him to jail."

   "I'm sure you will, sir," said the officer, returning to his post.

   "Who is the woman making the accusation?" asked the man.

   "I don't know. You can check at the stationhouse. I'm sure they'll be able
to tell you more," responded the officer. [Bastard, your kid finally got 
himself into something your money can't get him out of.] 

   The man pulled out a phone and began making a call.

******************************

At the stationhouse:

   Susan had dictated her statement of events and had signed the hardcopy. She 
asked to and was permitted to call the Earthforce duty officer.

   The young man who's face was on the display wore the insignia of a staff
sergeant. "What can I do for you, ma'am?"

   "I want to speak to your duty officer."

   "Whom shall I say is calling?"

   Detective Sergeant Hank Lewis watched and listened to Susan's call. "Tell
Him it's Brigadier General Susan Ivanova-Wayne."

   "Yes, ma'am," responded the staff sergeant.

   Less than five seconds later an older man appeared on the display. "General 
Wayne, I'm Colonel Bowers. How may I help you?"

   "I was involved in an assault, Colonel Bowers. I'm sending you a copy of
the police paperwork. I want General Leftcourt notified A.S.A.P. before he 
learns about it from the news media."

   The colonel noted that her call was coming from a police station. "Are you
in trouble, General Wayne?"

   "I was attacked by three armed men who intended to abduct and rape me.
They're in the local hospital emergency room. I just made my statement to the 
local police. That's the hardcopy you will be receiving in a minute or so."

   "It's coming through now, ma'am. I'll contact General Leftcourt and fill
him in." The colonel looked off-screen and nodded his head 'yes' to 
someone. "General, I notice that they tried to stun you with a military issue 
stun gun. I'm going to notify the proper department, so they can check that 
out, unless you object."

   "Not at all, colonel. Have a good evening."

   Lewis said, "You handled that short and to the point. I wouldn't want my
Boss learning something like that from the news media either, and you can be 
sure that it'll be all over the news before morning. You did some real damage 
to three very rich kids."

   "Unless you need me for something else, Detective Lewis, I'm going to go
home, take a shower and go to bed. I have a standing 0345 appointment with an 
old Minbari warrior to practice my denn'bok skills. For your information, a 
denn'bok is sort of a collapsible metal quarter-staff, and the Minbari
gentleman is a master in its use."

   "The district attorney will see to it that you're notified of when to appear
in court. You can bet that these kids' parents will pull out all the stops to
get them out of this."

   "I'll be truthful, Detective Lewis. If your men hadn't arrived when they
did, I'd have killed all three of them."

   "I wish you had. It would have made this whole mess a lot simpler."

   Susan left, passing one of the boys' fathers on the way out. The man, his
lawyer and his bodyguard checked her out as she passed them. She ignored them.

******************************
                                                               
At Detective Lewis' desk:

   "Are you in charge here?" asked the expensively dressed man in front of
Lewis' desk.

   "Who's asking?" inquired Lewis, looking the man in the eyes.

   "I'm Oscar Walsh. You have my son under police guard in the hospital."

   "So?"

   "I want him released to me."

   "If this were hell, Mr. Walsh, I'd ask you if you want ice water with that.
The man in charge is Lieutenant Fife. His office is the third on the right,"
said Lewis, pointing to the hallway located about eight meters beyond his
desk. "I suggest you leave your pet out here."

   That comment earned him a glaring look from Walsh's bodyguard. Lewis 
said, "The woman you passed on your way in. She did the damage and filed the 
charges." Looking at the bodyguard, Lewis wondered how long it would take Susan 
to kill him. He would bet it wouldn't last a full minute.

******************************

In Lieutenant Fife's office:

   "Mister Oscar Walsh. What can I do for you?" asked Lieutenant Kyle Fife.

   "I'm here about my son."

   "He's not here. He's in the hospital. It seems that someone he tried to
assault with a stun gun disagreed with him."   

   "I want him released when the hospital is finished with him."

   "That's going to be up to the judge, Mr. Walsh. He'll be arraigned Monday
morning. Until then, he is going to be our guest. You might make use of the
expensive legal counsel you have with you."

   "I tried to tell you, Oscar. Nothing can be done until he goes in front of
a judge. Give it up. You aren't helping his situation."

   "I pay you to make things happen. Am I wasting my money?"

   Looking exasperated the lawyer replied, "You can't make the law bend to
Your will. You get what you pay for. If you don't like my answers, ask 
different questions."

   Walsh gave his lawyer a look that could cut stone. "If the slut retracts
Her charges, can you let him go?"

   "In the first place the woman in question isn't a slut. I doubt that
anything you can say or do will change her mind."

   "Oscar. This isn't going to get us anywhere," pleaded his lawyer. Looking
at Fife, he asked, "Who is she anyway?"

   Walsh blurted out, "It doesn't make any difference. Everyone has a price or
a weak point."

   Appalled at his employer's statement, the lawyer almost cringed. This was
The sixth time in as many months that Walsh had been required to bail his son 
out of a mess. His temper seemed to be getting more erratic lately. This latest 
one might be the straw that breaks the camel's back. The woman they had passed 
on their way in looked like someone a man would want to take home to his 
parents.

   "According to prevailing law, Mr. Walsh, when we took your son and his
friends into custody, we took DNA samples and instituted a search of past
crime samples. We got some interesting results. Even if the Wayne woman wanted 
to drop the charges she filed, it wouldn't matter. We have the attack on video 
and two of our officers are eye witnesses. It's out of her hands. I wouldn't 
try to strong arm her, if I were you. She'll hand your head on a platter and 
crap down your windpipe."

   "You said something about DNA samples, Lieutenant. What gave you the right 
to do that? These men haven't been convicted of anything," pointed out the 
lawyer.

   "They were caught committing a felonious assault, and we have a bunch of
unsolved assaults, murders, abductions, rapes and other various violent crimes. 
Section 426 of the criminal code addresses it quite clearly. I suspect you are 
familiar with it. If not, I suggest you read it, carefully," responded Fife.

   "You never told me who this woman is, lieutenant," insisted the lawyer.

   "For what it's worth, her name is Susan Ivanova-Wayne," replied Fife. "One 
other thing, Mr. Walsh, the boy who was driving when he found out about the DNA 
search well, he has been, to say the least, most cooperative."

   Walsh paused for a moment then turned and, with his lawyer in tow, stomped 
out of Fife's office and the station.

   Fife walked out to Lewis' desk. "Hank, I think old man Walsh has lost it. I
think it might be prudent to get a car over to the apartment complex where the 
Wayne woman is staying."

   "You think he'll be stupid enough to try to hassle her? He tries that
she'll have a license to break him into little pieces."

   "You saw that bodyguard."

   "Sure did. I also learned enough about the Wayne woman to scare the crap
out of anyone with a gram of common sense."

   "Enlighten me."

   "She's a qualified instructor and an expert in hand-to-hand killing
techniques. She'll hand that moose his heart on a dish, after she breaks him
into pieces."

   "You said she's an Earthforce officer. What's her rank?"

   "Will you believe she's a brigadier general?"

   Fife whistled. "I think maybe this time, Oscar Walsh has more than met his
match."

   "Don't you just love it when things come together. Billions of women in the 
Earth Alliance they could have assaulted and abducted, and they picked the one 
that can do them the most damage. God, you've got to love it."

   Fife just smiled at his sergeant and returned to his office. This was
Turning out to be a good weekend.

   A minute later, Walsh's lawyer stuck his head into Fife's office.
"Lieutenant, could I get a copy of the charge sheet and one of the Wayne
woman's statement?"

   "See Sergeant Lewis. He's in charge of the investigation. If he's gotten it
written up, you're welcome to a copy."

   Lewis was right. Walsh was being stupid. It was obvious to a blind man that 
he wanted Susan Ivanova-Wayne's address. He called dispatch and had them send a 
car and two officers to keep an eye on the Wayne woman's apartment. With any 
luck they would get there before she did, because she'd have to catch a cab to 
the nearest transit station and it was a good walk from the transit station 
nearest her apartment to that complex. As it turned out, due to a shortage of 
available manpower, Sergeant Lewis and his partner ended up getting the 
stakeout assignment.

****************************** 

At Earthforce headquarters:

   "What can I do for you, Colonel Bowers," asked the image of General
Leftcourt, looking out at him from the video display.

   "I just sent you material that was passed to me by General Wayne. She said
she wanted you to know about it before you see it in the media."

   "Give me the quick down and dirty, Colonel."

   "General Wayne was attacked in an abduction attempt on her way home from a 
dinner invitation."

   "Was she injured?"

   "She didn't say, Sir, but from reading the police report, I'm sure she has
skinned knuckles. However, three of her four attackers were taken to the local 
hospital emergency room. The fourth man was the driver and never got out of the 
car. It seems that the police arrived while the attack was in progress, Sir."

   "Thank you, Colonel. Make the appropriate log entries and append a copy of 
the material Susan sent you."

   "Yes, sir."

******************************

Outside Susan's apartment:

   The limousine pulled up and parked in front of Susan's apartment complex. A 
large muscular man got out of the car and went into the building. In a few
Minutes, he returned and reentered the car.

   "Mr. Walsh, she hasn't returned."

   "We'll grab her when she arrives. She may be able to take out a couple of
kids, but three armed men who are ready and waiting, I don't think so. Jerry.
Get out, and take up a position just inside the hallway. I want her in a
crossfire when she arrives." The driver quickly complied with his boss'
orders.

   Less than ten minutes later, Susan came walking down the sidewalk, very
deep in thought about what had happened earlier. She was so engrossed in her 
own thoughts that she didn't even notice the limousine parked at the curb in 
front of he apartment complex. Her mental shields were up and she was unaware 
of the thoughts of the men in the car.

   Susan was about three meters from the complex door when a voice from behind 
said, "That's far enough." She stopped and slowly turned to look at the car 
that she had missed a few moments before. "Don't even think about it," said a 
man standing on the other side of the car with a silencer equipped pistol aimed 
at her.

   It took her a moment to recognize him as one of the men she had passed on
Her way out of the police station. "Do I know you?" she asked.

   "It don't matter," said another voice coming form the direction of the
complex door. Turning her head, she was greeted by the sight of a second and 
younger man aiming another silencer equipped pistol at her. She knew she 
couldn't get both of them before one of them got her with a lucky shot, so she 
stood very still and waited for the situation to develop.

   A third man exited the car, just over two meters away from her. He was armed 
like the other two. "Face down on the side walk," he ordered. Susan complied. 
She also dropped her mental shields and began exploring the minds of the three 
men. She picked up on thoughts of a fourth man, obviously in the back of the 
car. He was scared. She ignored him and concentrated on learning as much as 
possible about the three she could see. She could kill them with a mind blast, 
but she would probably kill the fourth man at the same time. Besides, if either 
of the men aiming weapons at her squeezed a trigger from muscle reflex, she 
could find herself very dead on the sidewalk. So she elected to wait for a 
better opportunity, realizing that if they drugged her, she might never get 
another one.

   The big man, Walsh's bodyguard used his knee on Susan's cheek to pin her
Head to the sidewalk as he secured her wrists with a large plastic ty-wrap. 
Susan felt a sharp pain in her left buttock. "That's just some muscle relaxant 
to keep you from fighting. It won't knock you out. I don't want you to miss any 
of what I'm going to do to you." He had fastened her ankles together and then 
fastened them to her wrists while he was talking to her.
   
   Susan was thrown into the trunk of the car. She could feel the drug
Beginning to affect her. Hopefully, they would relax now that they had her 
completely helpless, then they would pay the piper. She felt the vehicle start 
to move and began to put a plan into action. She concentrated on the mind and 
thoughts of the bodyguard. He was a real muscleman, but his mind was something 
else.

   As the car moved down the road on its way to whatever destination Walsh had 
in mind, an unmarked police car with Sergeant Lewis and his partner in it 
passed going in the direction of Susan's apartment complex.

   Susan had carefully felt her way around the bodyguard's mind. She had
Pushed and prodded gently to see what could be done with him. Finally, after 
several minutes, she made her move. She seized control of his mind. To the 
lawyer, it looked like the bodyguard stiffened for just a brief moment, then he 
pointed his pistol at Oscar Walsh and shot him twice in the chest. He then 
called the driver and told him to pull over that Walsh seemed to be having a 
heart attack. The driver pulled the car over and quickly stopped it. He started 
to lower the black window barrier between himself and the passenger 
compartment. As the window lowered far enough for him to see into the back seat 
area, the bodyguard shot him in the head, scattering his brains and pieces of 
his skull all over the front windshield and dashboard. By this time, the lawyer 
was screaming and relieving himself in his clothing. The bodyguard calmly put 
the silenced pistol into his own mouth and blew his brains out all over the 
back window and package shelf. Susan lay in the darkness of the trunk, unable 
to move, and relished the damage that she had just been responsible for. The 
lawyer couldn't get out of the car because the driver had locked the doors from 
the front seat. He was in shock when the police arrived about ten minutes later.

******************************

In front of Susan's apartment complex:

   "I'll run up and see if she's home yet," said Detective Sergeant Victor
Lane.

   "Did you see the limousine we passed on our way here?" asked his partner, 
Hank Lewis.

   "Yeah. What about it?"

   "It seems out of place in this area. I got a partial plate number as we
passed it. I'm going to run it while you check the apartment."

   Several minutes later, his partner returned. "I got bad news. It belongs to
one of Walsh's companies. I had dispatch put out an All Points Bulletin 
(APB) on it." Lewis then started the car and drove in the direction the 
limousine had taken. Less than two minutes later, their dispatcher notified 
them that the car in question was off the side of the road and gave them  a 
location. It was less than two kilometers ahead of them. By the time they 
arrived, there was a marked police car and a news team already there.

   "Hank, How did they get here before us? I mean where did that damned 
news truck come from?"

   "Why don't you ask them?"

   Lewis parked the car and he and his partner walked over to the uniformed
policemen that were on site. His partner asked the news people how they got
there so quickly, and learned that they had been headed for Susan's apartment, 
in hopes of getting an interview about what had happened during the attack on 
her, and, since it involved Oscar Walsh's oldest kid, it was news.

   "Detective Lewis, the car is locked from the inside. We've called the fire
department to get it open," said the senior uniformed officer. 

   Lewis had walked around the car, which still had the engine operating. The
bloody mess on the inside of the front windshield told a tale of killing, but
who and why would have to wait for answers. The car was essentially a tank. It 
was armored and the glass was bulletproof to anything except maybe a heavy 
machine gun or small cannon.

   By the time the fire department arrived the local news outfits already had
live camera crews on site. They were planning to broadcast live the opening of 
the car and the mess inside in spite of the police objections. It was news.

   It took the fire department almost fifteen minutes to get the drivers door
open amidst the glare of numerous high intensity television lights. 

   The door popped open and the driver complete with most of his skull hanging 
only by skin, and brains all over the place, fell out on the grassy shoulder of 
the road. Using the control panel mounted in the driver's door armrest, the 
firemen unlocked the remaining doors.

   The TV cameras got a real lens full of blood and gore when the rear doors
Were opened. The lawyer scrambled out into the bright lights, looking like a 
food animal who had just realized he wasn't going to be slaughtered.

   Wide eyed and almost incoherent, the man blurted out, "The trunk! In the
Trunk!"

   The trunk was opened, and the TV lights played on the contents, one very
helpless Susan Ivanova. There she was on live television, trussed up hands and 
ankles, blindfolded and duct tape over her mouth. Drugged up and unable to even 
complain.

****************************** 

END PART 17  

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