Address criticisms to [xazqrten@cox.net]

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

At the location of Oscar Walsh's Bloody limousine:

   The police personnel had called for medical personnel and ambulances in 
addition to the fire department as soon as they had seen the blood splattered 
windshield of Oscar Walsh's car.

   By the time a barely conscious Susan had been removed from the car trunk the 
medics were on the scene to take her vital signs and evaluate her condition. It 
was obvious that she had been heavily drugged, and the lawyer didn't know what 
drug it was except that it was supposed to be a muscle relaxant. The medics 
were on the radio with the local hospital and were alarmed that Susan's blood 
pressure was dropping, her breathing was becoming shallow and her heartbeat was 
becoming fainter. Fearing that the drug she had been given, a very large 
overdose of whatever is was, would kill her before a regular ambulance could 
get her to the hospital, the lead medic requested an air ambulance.

   All the while the medics and police were going about their business, the 
news cameras were relaying everything to their studios, and it was going on the 
air live. Using directional microphones the news teams were able to give the 
studios live audio of the situation to go with the visuals.

   Without having said anything to anyone since she had been removed from the 
car's trunk, Susan lost consciousness just before the air ambulance arrived.
Traffic had been rerouted and the road was used for a landing area. 

   As the air ambulance took off, the news cameras refocused on the blood and
gore in the limousine. The TV stations dispatched news crews to cover the local 
hospital.

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

In Wallace Ashley's house:

   After watching the videos Wallace had presented, his friends had been
discussing Susan, and the possibilities such a person might offer to the
political arena. They all agreed that military heroes had a long history of
being very electable. Wallace's son, Robert, interrupted them.

   "Dad you need to turn on the TV. The lady who was here earlier was 
kidnapped. It's on all the local channels." 

   Wallace turned on a projection set and lowered a screen. On the screen, a 
talking head was explaining that they were live at the scene of several 
killings and a kidnapping. Wallace and his friends sat and watched things 
unfold and the video being replayed with voice-overs and the desperate 
communications of the medics with the hospital as they worked to keep Susan 
alive long enough to get her there.

   "Well Helen, you don't need to worry about Susan for a while. I don't 
suppose she'll feel like chasing anyone else's husband for some time," chided 
Wallace.

   "That's cruel, Wally. I never wished her any harm," replied his wife.

   "I suppose our questions about Susan and any political plans we might
envision will have to be put on hold," said Wallace.

   They all agreed on that as they sat and watched the news coverage with 
morbid fascination.

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

In Earthforce headquarters the duty officer's office:

   Colonel Bowers was watching a TV drama to kill time. His watch was back to 
being totally boring since he had finished the log entries about General 
Wayne's situation. In a moment, it went from totally boring to more excitement 
than he had personally seen since being posted to Earthforce Headquarters. He 
had been on leave during the Mars attack. The station broke into their normal 
programming for a fast breaking news story about several apparent killings that 
were in the process of happening. It only took a few seconds for Bowers to 
realize that the place the announcer was talking about was the same city where 
General Ivanova had been assaulted earlier this evening. At that point, the 
newscast had his undivided attention. 

   As he watched the air ambulance take off on the TV, Colonel Bowers was
already calling the commanding officer of the Earthforce base nearest the city
where Susan was being hospitalized. He wanted a public affairs officer (PAO) at 
the hospital before Susan was in any condition to talk to the press. He didn't
know what the story might be, but he didn't want anything released that shed 
bad light on Earthforce. In the old days, it was called information damage 
control, 'spin' for short.

   Bowers phoned Leftcourt immediately after he had seen to the PAO
assignment. As it turned out, Leftcourt was watching the same newscast that he 
was.    

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

In the Minbari Embassy: 

   The Minbari ambassador was watching an all news channel on her video display 
when the announcer was interrupted by a voice-over signaling a news flash. She 
continued to watch as the events unfolded. The audio pickup of the medics who 
were working over Susan Wayne caught her attention. Apparently she was in much 
more danger than the newscasters were aware of. She summoned her chief medical 
officer and began to make inquiries of her own. She had her aide contact the 
Earthforce duty officer while she contacted her local Earth counterpart. It 
didn't take long to determine that the local hospital wasn't equipped to do 
much more than keep Susan comfortable and give the drugs she had received time 
to work their way out of her system. Fifteen minutes after she had made her 
first phone call, the Minbari version of a fully equipped air ambulance was 
already on its way across the Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of eighty 
kilometers at more than fifteen times the speed of sound, and by the time the 
Earthdome diplomatic representative had contacted the hospital to have them 
prep Susan for transfer to Minbari care, the Minbari medical evacuation unit 
had landed on the roof of the hospital.

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

In the hospital emergency room:

   As Susan arrived, the doctors in the emergency room were making preparations 
to put her on assisted life support. It would not be very long before her heart 
and lungs would shut down as a result of the action of the 'muscle relaxant' 
she had received. Their fear was that she needed to be attached to a heart-lung 
machine to allow her body to cleanse itself of the drug even if her respiration 
and circulatory systems ceased their normal functioning. The problem they faced 
was that they couldn't administer any anesthetic because of the muscle 
relaxant. 

   Samples of blood were drawn and sent to the lab for analysis. They wouldn't
know for sure if there was anything they could do to make her body expel the
drug any faster than it already was until they got the lab results, but knowing
what she had been given might give them some idea of a treatment for her. The 
doctors knew they were grasping at straws, but it was all they had. In the
almost three hundred years since the drug crazed late twentieth and early
twenty-first centuries, medical science still hadn't come up with a good way to
get harmful drugs out of the human body any faster than letting nature take its
course. There were treatments that helped the individual survive while the body 
did its work, but those only worked on a limited list of drugs. It didn't take 
long for the lab to return the results of the tests. The drug she had received 
wasn't one of those they could do anything about. It would be up to her body if 
she lived or died. It looked like she would not leave the hospital alive.

   As the lab results were scrutinized, the call came from Earthforce
headquarters. The doctors were ordered to prep Susan for transfer to Minbari
care. The lead doctor objected, but was immediately overridden by the hospital
administrator.

   The Minbari medics wasted no time when they arrived. A few minutes after 
they arrived, they had transferred Susan to one of their mobile medical 
analysis and life-support units. The life support unit inserted very thin wires 
through Susan's chest wall and positioned them across her heart and into her 
diaphragm. In a few moments her pulse, blood pressure and breathing returned to 
almost normal. At that point, the Minbari wheeled the mobile medical unit with 
Susan on it out of the emergency room and up to the hospital roof.

   Back in the emergency room, the hospital administrator, who had been working 
late, looked at the lead doctor. "I understand you refused to let Doctor 
Daniels put this Wayne woman on a heart-lung support machine?"

   "It was a waste of resources. If she hadn't overdosed she wouldn't have been
in here in the first place."

   "For your information, Doctor Lane, she didn't give herself an overdose. She
was kidnapped and drugged. Secondly she was pregnant. If she loses her baby, 
me, you and the hospital and everyone in this room can expect to be sued for 
gross negligence and malpractice."

   "How was I supposed to know all that?"

   Looking at the other doctor in the room, the administrator said, "Doctor 
Daniels knew because the onsite medics told him so over the radio. You will 
face a board. This woman is an Earthforce flag officer. You can bet that she or 
someone in the military is going to want your ass. You better hope that those 
Minbari doctors screw up and that she dies. However, from the way they got her 
vital signs back up to normal, I wouldn't depend on it."

   As Daniels walked out of the room to work on the next patient, he 
said, "next time, try and stay out of the way, Doctor Lane."

   In Lane's mind he could already see the lawsuit. He would be lucky if he 
came out of this with his license still intact. An honest mistake was one 
thing, but he had actively prevented the woman from receiving lifesaving care, 
and that would not be easily explained away. He had plenty of people on the 
hospital staff that he had rubbed the wrong way, and he could almost see and 
hear them gloating now.

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

In the Minbari Embassy Infirmary:

   It was 1000 hours Sunday morning when Susan started to wake up. Her head 
felt like armies of tiny men were trying to beat their way out using croquet 
mallets. The first thing she saw was a Minbari doctor. Groggy and completely 
confused, she asked, "Where am I, and how did I get here?"

   As the Minbari started to explain, Susan recognized him from her last visit
to the place. The doctor looked crestfallen.

   #What's wrong, doctor?# asked Susan in Minbari.

   #You will recover completely, Mrs. Wayne,# replied the doctor.

   Susan thought about his statement for a minute. Then she realized something
was missing. #What are you not telling me, Doctor?# she asked quietly, not
wanting to hear the answer.

   #We barely got to you in time, Mrs. Wayne. I'm very sorry, but we couldn't
save your baby. It was already dead when we got to you.#

   Susan felt like the universe had just dropped on her. Unable to respond, she
lay back on the bed, eyes full of tears and in shock. All her life the people
she had loved had been stripped away from her. Finally, when things looked like 
they might change, she had her life jerked out from under her again. How would 
Charley react when he learned about it?

   The doctor continued, #We may not have been able to save your baby even if 
we had been there to meet you when you arrived at the hospital. There are some 
things our medical facility here on Earth is just not equipped to handle.#

   #Has my body already expelled the fetus?# 

   #Yes. You can leave anytime today. You may be a little sore for a few hours.
Your body has suffered great trauma. It would be better if you curtail some of
your activities until it has completely recovered. The ambassador will arrange
for you to be transported back to your school. Would I be out of line for asking
to be allowed to use the aborted fetus for medical research purposes?#

   Susan thought for a moment, the replied, #No. It will be his contribution to
us. His life, however short, will have had meaning. Don't worry about my
activities, doctor. My husband is away on business, and I have no reliable 
means to reach him. If exercise isn't out of the question, everything will be 
as normal as can be expected.#

   #Exercise will be fine, Mrs. Wayne. However, you should refrain from sex for 
a couple of weeks.#

   #Not a problem, Doctor. I think I'll eat lunch here before I leave.# As
she finished the sentence, Susan's eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

   The doctor left the room and ran into the ambassador in the hallway. #She
will be alright, physically, ambassador. I can't be sure how she will handle
knowing she has lost her baby. Her reaction to the news was what would be
expected, shock and anguish. Before I discharge her, I'll give her something 
for her physical pain. She should have someone to offer emotional support until 
she adjusts to the loss of the baby, but there is nothing that I can do in that 
arena.#

   #Thank you, doctor.#

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

Afternoon in the Minbari embassy compound:

   It was 1300 when Susan finished dressing and thanking the doctor and his
staff for permitting her to live another day. The ambassador made her shuttle
available to transport Susan back to the Atlanta, Georgia area.

   "I owe you, Ambassador. I owe your medical staff even more," said 
Susan. "Why did you intervene?"

   "You are a very good friend of Entil'zha Delenn. She and I have been close
friends since we were children. I trust her judgment and honor her allegiances.
It was the least I could do. I am terribly sorry that you lost your unborn
child. We did all we could," replied the ambassador.

   "Your doctor explained that due to the massive overdose that I received of
the drug, my baby was probably already dead before I even arrived at the
hospital. There was nothing anyone could have done to change that."

   "I notified Shei' et stel Macel that you might not be available for workouts
for a few days. You should call him when you get home."

   "Again, thank you for everything, ambassador."

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

   Finally back in her apartment, Susan promptly called the Earthforce
headquarters duty officer. After a short exchange of comments, she convinced 
him to contact Lieutenant General Manuel Sanchez. As she waited for a response 
from Sanchez, she went over the events of the last twenty-four hours; trying to 
think of something to say to her husband that wouldn't sound banal.  

   Less than half an hour later, Sanchez returned her call. On the vid-phone
screen the image of Sanchez asked, "What's the problem, Susan."

   "Charley never left me any number to call if I needed him. I assume it's
because of where he’s working."

   "I'd have to check with my people. The project he’s involved with is located
in several places. Why do you need to contact him?"

   "Did you watch the news last night or this morning?"

   "I'm on a hunting trip in Alaska. I haven't seen a newscast in a week. This
is supposed to be a getaway-from-it-all photographic tour. We shoot the 
wildlife with cameras instead of bullets. Tell me what it's all about."

   Susan gave him the synopsis version, including her losing her baby. She
explained that she didn't expect Charley to be able to do anything, but she
wanted him to know.

   "I'll have one of my people contact you. You can record a video of what you
wish him to know, and as soon as possible he will contact you. I can't promise
how long it will take for him to respond. You do understand why."

   "Yes, sir. I do."

   "Since I have you on the line, I'd like to have a weekend meeting with you
after you complete the schooling you are involved in. It concerns a hole in the
Nevada desert."

   "I had nothing to do with that, General Sanchez."

   "I know, but you know something about a certain redhead."

   "I'll contact you as soon as the school is finished."

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

In an expensive private hospital room:

   Detective Sergeant Hank Lewis stood at the foot of the hospital bed. His
partner Detective Sergeant Victor Lane standing by his side. Along the side of
the bed stood Gather Maxon, the lawyer for the young man in the bed. Matthew 
Walsh lay in the bed with an IV running to his arm. His chest was encased in a 
cast to protect his broken sternum and ribs.

   "I have a few questions for your client, Mister Maxon. None of them deal 
with his activities of yesterday evening," said Lewis.

   "Go ahead and ask," replied Maxon.

   "Is he aware of what happened to his father last night?" asked Lane.

   "He's been watching the news, so I'd think so," answered Maxon.

   "If you want to know, yes, I know my dad's dead," snapped Walsh.

   "Son, we have done some background investigating. As far as we can tell, 
your father's business dealings were aboveboard and legal. Can you give us any 
idea why he would be involved in kidnapping the Wayne woman, keeping in mind 
that she could not affect what you're charged with from last night?" asked 
Lewis.

   Maxon looked at Walsh and said, "Answer him, Matthew."

   Walsh thought about it for almost a minute before answering. "No. I can't
even begin to imagine why he did it. It makes no sense at all."

   "What do you know about his bodyguard?"

   "Nothing really. I wondered why he hired him. He never needed one before."

   "Was there anything else about your father's behavior that seemed odd
lately?"

   "In the last six months or so, he seemed more short tempered, but I figured
it was because he was having to bail me out of trouble. Now that you mention 
it, he was getting short tempered with people he dealt with on a regular basis, 
but I don't know why."

   "The attorney who was with him last night says he had been getting worse
lately. He also said that your father had his annual physical about eight months
ago, and that everything was fine then."

   "I know he had a physical annually, but I never paid any attention to when it
occurred."

   "Thank you for your time. Good day counselor," said Lewis. Then he and Lane 
departed.
    
   "He didn't ask me one question about what we did last night."

   "He doesn't have to, Matt. They have it on video and two police officers as
witnesses. Your 'friends' are singing their heads off trying to distance
themselves from you. Guess whose ass they are peddling to the police."

   "How was I to know she was a friggin' general? She looked like just another
female."

   "Out of four billion women on this planet, you chose the one who could do 
you the most damage, and I mean that literally. I have a friend in the 
Earthforce JAG office. He was involved with the board of inquiry that was held 
on Babylon 5 concerning her actions during the Drakh attack on the station. She 
is an expert in hand-to-hand killing techniques and a telepath to boot."

   "Telepathic scans aren't allowed in criminal court."

   "Matthew, you know just enough to be dangerous to yourself. A telepathic 
scan is allowed, if it's done with the permission of the person who is being 
scanned. In other words, if the victim wants to be scanned to help with their 
memory of the event that is admissible. She is the victim, so her telepathic 
knowledge is admissible. You can bet that the prosecution will make the best of 
that opportunity."

   "You're just full of news, all bad."

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

   As they walked down the corridor, Lewis told Lane, "I bet the kid is going
nuts trying to figure out why I never asked him about what he did last night."

   "You can bet his lawyer will explain it to him. You think maybe what he's
been doing might rate death of personality?"

   "I don't speculate on sentences. That's the DA's worry. I just bag 'em and
tag 'em. This job is tough enough without us making it any worse."

   "Are you going to interrogate the Wayne woman about last night?"

   "I want to ask her a couple of questions, but I wouldn't characterize it as
an interrogation. She isn't charged with anything, and surviving a kidnapping
isn't a crime anymore than surviving an unwarranted assault."

   "You're going nuts trying to figure out what caused the bodyguard to kill his
boss and the driver, while letting the lawyer live. Aren't you?"

   "Yes. Somehow, I think the Wayne woman's responsible. Remember she's a
telepath. She might have somehow made the guy do it. Hell, I don't know what to 
think. Even if she did, how in God's name would you prove it? The guy's brains 
are decorating the rear window and package shelf. There isn't anything to find, 
if there ever was. Besides, she was acting in self-defense. No jury would 
convict her, even if she could be prosecuted."

   "If it should ever get out that telepaths could do crap like that...We'd have
another telepath crisis only worse than anything that's gone before. I'd rather
not see that. All she did was use her abilities to keep from being killed or
worse. Would we do any less, if we were faced with the same situations?"

   "No, I suppose not. I just want to know."

   "Sometimes, not knowing is better. Some things you don't want to know."

   "I still want to ask her a few questions."

   Lane shook his head and wondered if his partner would ever learn to leave
well enough alone.

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

   It was very late afternoon and Susan was beginning to feel hungry. She had
been hoping that Charley would call, but she was beginning to realize that he
might not even be able to call her for a couple of days. She was getting ready
to leave the apartment and head to the mall. She had found an Italian 
restaurant there that served decent food. Besides, she wanted a very large 
caffeinated Mocha. She had decided she needed the caffeine 'kick'. She was 
surprised to hear her doorbell ring.

   She opened the door to find herself looking at Detective Sergeant Hank 
Lewis. "What can I do for you, Detective? I'm on my way out to get some very 
late lunch or early supper."

   "I need a word with you, if you don't mind."

   Susan led him into her living room and said, "What can I do for you?"

   "I need to inform you that you must be in general circuit court tomorrow at
0900. They are going to arraign the men that attacked you yesterday evening. It 
shouldn't take more than an hour. I figure you can be out of there by noon at
the latest." He handed her a document that turned out to be a summons.

   "Okay. Is there anything else?"

   "I'm very curious. Walsh's bodyguard killed him and the driver before he de-
brained himself. Why didn't he kill the lawyer?"

   "You're asking me why my kidnappper didn't kill the lawyer? Detective Lewis, 
I was hog-tied, blindfolded, gagged and pumped full of a very nasty drug, not 
to mention that I was locked in the car's trunk. Just how in hell do you expect 
me to know what was going through the son-of-a-bitch's mind. Not that I give a 
damn."

   "You're a telepath."

   "If you must know, their thoughts revealed that they were going to kill me
and the lawyer. No, I don't know why. For your information, that makes me 
wonder even more why the bodyguard didn't kill him. I'm sorry, but if you 
insist on answers to that question, I strongly suggest you avail yourself of 
the services of a reputable medium, because there isn't any other way you are 
ever going to get to ask him. Now, if you don't mind, I want to go get 
something to eat."

   "I don't buy your statement, Mrs. Wayne. I think you're responsible for that
bloodbath, and you didn't have the lawyer killed because he wasn't a partner to
the plan."

   "Believe what you will, Detective. I'm going to get something to eat, so you
can leave now."

   Lewis hesitated.

   Susan was already at the door. "Detective, when you leave, pull the door
shut. It'll lock behind you."

   Lewis was miffed. She had dismissed him the way she would a housemaid, and 
it was apparent that she didn't care what he thought. He pondered what he had 
read in her unclassified service record. After the things she had faced, he 
knew that he didn't even show up on her radar as being worth noticing, much 
less worth fearing. 

   As Susan exited onto the sidewalk, Lewis caught up to her. "Mrs. Wayne, 
could you take the time to show me exactly what happened when you were 
abducted?" 

   Susan stopped and turned to face Lewis. "What?"

   "Would you show me what happened when you were abducted?"

   "Is that your car?"

   "Yes."

   Susan walked to the curb. "Move your car so that the front bumper is even
with me." Lewis took a minute to move his car.

   Getting out of his car, he asked, "What now?"

   Susan placed him on the sidewalk, and then walked around his car. Simulating 
pointing a gun at him, she said, "This is where Walsh was standing with a 
silenced pistol aimed at me." Then she moved over to the building 
doorway. "This is where the driver was standing with his silencer equipped 
pistol aimed at me." Then she moved to the right side rear door of the 
car. "This is where the bodyguard was, and he was aiming his silencer equipped 
pistol at me. As you can see, I was at a slight disadvantage. I was unarmed. 
Even if I’d had a weapon, it wouldn't have made any difference. Then the son of 
a bitch gave me a massive overdose of a tranquilizer that was enough to kill 
several people. If it hadn't been for a lucky happenstance and intervention by 
the Minbari, I'd be so much dead meat in the local morgue. As it is, I lost my 
baby. So I don't really feel like playing cat and mouse games with you, 
Detective Lewis."

   "I'd still like to know what you did to that bodyguard. I'm not believing he
just went 'nuts'," said Lewis walking over to stand by Susan.

   Without any warning, Susan grabbed the detective by the lapels of his jacket
and slammed him against the side of his car. "You really want to know what
happened to him, I'll be glad to show you. I'll fry your damned brains like I
did his. I know you aren't wired, so there won't be any record of this
conversation. If I erase your memory, you won't know it occurred either. You
have no idea who or what you are playing games with. I could kill you in a
matter of seconds, but I won't. You have a wife and kids. I suggest you go home 
to them and leave me alone. There is nothing you can prove concerning me and 
anything I may - or may not - have done to escape Walsh and company, so let it 
go, detective. Don't force me to hurt you. I can hurt you in ways you can't 
even imagine. Ways that will have you tearing your own tongue and eyes out. So, 
leave well enough alone. I'm going to let you remember this, but you won't be 
able to tell anyone about it, and after I put in a few blocks, even a psi cop 
won't be able to access the memories."

   Susan looked him straight in the eyes, and saw raw fear looking back at her.
It only took a few minutes to put what Charley had taught her to use. Lewis
would remember everything about his visit, but, except for the delivery of the
summons, he wouldn't be able to tell anyone about it.  

   "You can go, detective. Go home to your wife and children. Enjoy what's left
of this beautiful weekend."

   "I didn't know that you were pregnant, Mrs. Wayne. For what it's worth, I
don't blame you for what you did. Anyone who could have, would have done the 
same thing given the circumstances."

   "For your information, detective, the reason I attacked using the bodyguard,
was because Walsh's mind was so chaotic I couldn't do anything with it. If I
could have, I wouldn't have been forced to make the bodyguard kill the three of 
them. The lawyer was an innocent victim. They were going to kill him too. I
suggest that you have the coroner pay very close attention to Walsh's head.
Something isn't right there. Hell, if Walsh's mind had been operating properly,
the whole situation probably wouldn't have happened. But, it wasn't, so that is
that."

   Finishing her statement, Susan executed a smart about face and walked off.
Lewis considered offering her a ride, but thought better of it when he
remembered what happened to the last man who had insisted on offering her a
ride. He got in his car and headed home. The woman was right. He had better
things to do than hassle her, and they were a hell of a lot safer.

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

   Susan had eaten her late lunch and was sitting outside a coffee shop enjoying
a large mocha. She was deep in thought. Her sorrow at losing her developing 
baby was wearing on her nerves. Her anger at Walsh and his men wouldn't go 
away. She kept thinking that if she had known what was going to happen, she 
would have made them suffer excruciating agony before killing them. It was 
while in this state of mind she found a shadow falling across her line of 
vision. She looked up to see the source of the shadow, and found herself 
looking at a man built like a Greek God with a beautiful face. She sensed that 
he was on the make.

   "A credit for your thoughts," he said.

   "Leave me alone," responded Susan.

   "That's not a very courteous response," he answered.

   "I won't tell you again. Leave me alone."

   "What's wrong? Maybe I can help," the man insisted.

   Susan's left hand was in plain sight and she was sure he could see that she
was married.

   "What part of leave me alone don't you understand?"

   The man sat down at her table. "There's no reason to be rude."

   "You have a very pretty face, Mister..."

   "Stevens," he interrupted. "Lane Stevens."

   "As I said, you have a very pretty face, Mister Stevens. However, if you
don't go away and leave me alone, when I finish with you, your mother will have 
to use your fingerprints to identify you. Do you understand me?" Susan said 
through gritted teeth.

   Stevens got up from the table, and said, "You don't have to cop an attitude,
bitch!"

   Before he could move, Susan had jumped up from her seat and hit him across 
the mouth with a backhand blow. Stevens staggered back from the impact with 
blood starting to ooze from one corner of his mouth. Susan was around the table 
and was preparing to hit him again. "Apologize or I'll send you to the 
emergency room!"

   Stevens had been caught totally by surprise by Susan's explosive response to
his 'bitch' remark. He realized he had picked on the wrong woman and began to 
back away.

   "Move again and I'll kick all of your teeth out, mister. You owe me an
apology, and I'm waiting."

   "Lady, let it go. You've already busted his mouth. You may even have broken 
a tooth or two for him."

   Susan turned slightly to see who had addressed her. It was an older man in a
mall security guard uniform. "He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."

   "I'm sure he's realized the error of his ways. Say, haven't I seen you in
here before?"

   "You were on duty the day the robbery attempt in the restroom occurred. I 
was involved in that."

   "Yeah! Now I remember. You're the lady who sent those two goons straight to 
hell."

   Susan smiled at him. "That guy doesn't realize just how lucky he was today,"
said the security guard.

   "I wouldn't have hurt him too badly."

   "Enjoy the rest of your drink, Mrs. Wayne."

   Susan returned to her seat and returned to working on her mocha.

   "Care for some company?" asked a familiar female voice.

   Susan looked up into the face of Mary Locks, who was standing to one side of 
her table, holding a drink and what appeared to be two muffins. Susan stood up 
and pulled a chair away from the table. "Of course, Mary. Is one of those
muffins for me?"

   "Yes. I saw you coming out of the restaurant. This can be desert. I saw you
slap the kid. What was his problem?"

   "He thought I as an easy pickup."

   "I know the type. They think they are God's gift to the female population. It
hurts their egos to learn otherwise. Although, in his case, I think it's his
fat lip that's hurting. That was a beautiful backhand."

   "He caught me in a very bad mood."

   "I saw the news broadcasts. I'm surprised they let you out of the hospital
this quickly."

   "They didn't. If I'd remained in the local hospital, I'd be dead now."

   "What do you mean?"

   "The drug dose I received was enough to kill several people, and the hospital
apparently never tried to do anything about it. They were going to let my 
system handle it. I'm going to have a lawyer look into it."

   "How did you survive?"
   
   "The Minbari ambassador was watching the news when my story was broadcast 
live and she sent her medics to pick me up at the hospital. They had some 
procedures for removing the drug from my system and a counteragent to render 
the residue harmless."

   "You are one lucky woman."

   "That's a matter of opinion. I lost my baby, Mary." At this point, tears
welled up in Susan's eyes and started to run down her cheeks.

   "I'm so sorry, Susan."

   Thirty meters away from Susan across the mall, Lane Stevens and three other 
young men listened to the voices coming from a small receiver unit that one of 
them held in his hands.

   "Don't you just love the way this thing makes it sound like you are standing
right next to their table? I'm surprised she didn't see you plant the mike under
the table top," said Tom Noble, a blond headed young man of about twenty-four 
years of age. 

   Stevens mumbled through swollen lips, "I don't think I should have to pay 
the bet."

   "Five-hundred credits are five-hundred credits. You picked her as your
target, Lane," said another of the young men. He was somewhere in his mid-
twenties with brown hair and a totally forgettable face, the kind you find on
really good intelligence agents.

   Susan's voice said, "Would you mind coming over to my place, Mary. I need
someone to talk to. I've sent personnel into situations that cost them their
lives, I've held friends as their lives ebbed away, but nothing could have
prepared me for the emptiness I feel about this. I think maybe the emptiness I
felt when my mother died comes very close, because we had shared each other's 
thoughts on a deep telepathic level."

   "Susan, no one will ever be closer to you than your own child, even an 
unborn one. It's part of you. There is no closer relationship in the universe. 
There can't be," replied Mary's voice from the receiver.

   "I almost punched her out," said Stevens.

   "Fortunately you didn't actually try," replied Noble.

   "Why?" asked Stevens.

   "You really don't watch the news do you?" queried Noble.
 
   "What's your point?" insisted Stevens.

   "Last night she sent three attackers to the emergency room at the hospital.
One of those jokers had a stun gun in his hand, but it didn't do him any good. 
A couple of weeks ago, they had two men killed here while they were trying to 
rob two  women in the main women's restroom. She killed both of them, and one 
of them had a machine pistol shoved almost up her nose. You really don't want 
to take a swing at her. She might just tear your arm off and beat you to death 
with it," replied Noble. 

   "He's not joking," added the brown haired young man.

   The young men had been so busy talking amongst themselves they had failed to 
notice Susan and Mary approaching them. 

   "Which one of you clowns owns this?" asked Susan holding out her hand,
showing them the small mike-transmitter she had removed from the underside of 
her tabletop.

   The four young men stopped talking and fell silent. "I asked, which of you
clowns owns this?"

   "Uh, I do," replied Noble.

   "Give me the receiver!" ordered Susan. 

   Noble complied, asking, "What are you going to do with them. They are
expensive."

   "I have no doubt they are," answered Susan. She dropped the mike-transmitter 
and crushed it underfoot.

   "You can't do that," wailed Noble.

   Without answering, Susan dropped the receiver unit and stomped it into small 
pieces. "Pick up the mess and throw it into the trash. If I ever catch you
clowns at this again that can be your heads. Understand?"

   "Yes, ma'am," said Noble.

   Susan looked at Stevens. "Any teeth broken or loose?"

   "No. Just a fat lip," he responded.

   Susan looked at Mary and commented, "I must be losing my touch." Then the 
two of them turned and walked toward one of the mall exits.

   "That setup cost me three-hundred credits," complained Noble.

   "It could have cost us our asses," replied his brown haired friend.

   "She looks a lot older when you're really close to her," commented the fourth
young man. "She has the body and face of someone in her mid twenties, but her 
eyes look like they've seen several hundred years worth of hell."
   
******************************

Susan's apartment 2000 hours:

   Susan and Mary had returned to her apartment after stopping by Mary's place 
to collect a change of clothing. They had been talking for the better part of 
two hours and Mary had learned more about Susan than anyone, except a few close 
friends, and in the department of personal feelings, she learned more than even 
Susan's close friends knew, with the exception of Lyta Alexander. Lyta had 
learned everything there was to know about Susan in her efforts to help her 
cope with feelings she had hidden for a lifetime. Mary had been just as free 
with the experiences in her life, both good and bad. It was an education for 
both of them. Susan had learned about how difficult just trying to be a decent 
mother can be. Mary had learned that an exciting life could leave much to be 
desired, if for no other reason than learning that making good friends was 
extremely painful when they were killed. A life like Susan's offered copious 
opportunities for such a reality. 

   The vid-phone incoming call signal sounded. Susan pressed the accept call
button.

   The image and voice of Charley on the vid-phone was recorded. "I received
your message, sweetheart. Unfortunately, security procedures here prohibit any 
outgoing message traffic unless it is a legitimate emergency. I'm sure you
understand. I can't express my sorrow at the loss of our baby. If coming home
would change matters, I'd be on the next available vehicle out of here, but it
won't. I can't know how you feel, because I can't carry a child. Yes, I know
that when I’m together with you again, you will share that with me. I'm so
happy that you survived the incidents. I love you, honey. If things change for
the worse, let me know. I'm sure something can be worked out. I have to go now. 
My heart aches for what you must be going through now. I love you with all my 
heart."

   Mary watched the message in silence. When it had finished playing, she 
asked, "Where did you steal him from?"

   "I got him from Psi Corps. He used to be a psi cop. He came aboard the Zeus
just before we left on our maiden voyage. I had him locked in his room for
almost the whole cruise. The last part of it he spent in the ship's brig. I
suppose I made an impression on him."

   "You're kidding. Right?"

   "I can supply witness, including Charley if you don't believe me."

   Mary just studied Susan for several minutes. "You are a real work of art
Susan Ivanova-Wayne."

   "I never said I was a regular woman. Besides, at that time Psi Corps was 
still in existence, and I was subject to being pulled in by them. He 
represented what I perceived as a major threat to me and my career. He was 
lucky I didn't find some excuse to throw him out of an airlock without an 
environment suit. He represented the most hated thing in my life to me. I 
didn't learn differently until Lyta Alexander saved the Zeus from destruction. 
That's when I learned he was working for the rogue telepaths as an inside man. 
Then I had to keep him locked up in the brig to protect his status. I was known 
to hate Psi Corps and psi cops in particular, so my actions toward him insured 
against his cover being blown."

   "You have led an interesting life. In some ways, I envy you. In others, you
have my deepest sympathies."

   "I'm going to turn in, Mary. 0300 comes early, and Macel and I have a
standing schedule. You're welcome to sleep in or come with me, whichever you wish."

   "I'll see how I feel at 0300. If I'm still sleepy, I'll grab a couple more
hours."

   Mary was with Susan when she met Macel at the front door of the Ashley
Company, Inc. building. Susan's program that morning consisted of warming up, 
simple exercises and meditation.

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

O700 in the classroom:

   Susan had carried her service dress uniform in with her this morning. She 
had to appear in court and figured that she might as well look the part. As she
walked into the classroom, wearing her uniform, conversation came to a halt.

   "What's wrong?" she asked.

   The instructor, Daniel Stone said, "I watched the news over the weekend, but
somehow, hearing someone say you’re a general, and actually seeing you in
uniform are not the same thing at all. How should we address you?"

   " 'Susan' has worked just fine in the past. I see no reason to change that.
I'm scheduled to appear in court this morning, and see no reason not do so at 
my best advantage. After the court appearance, this outfit goes back into the
uniform bag. Saying that, if possible, I'd like for you to record the class
activities especially the questions and answers today. I'll read the pertinent
material while I'm waiting my turn in the witness box, and review the Q&A
tonight."

   "We can do that," responded Stone. 

   The class broke for coffee at 0800 and Susan left, she had called a taxi for
0800 just before the class had started. She was at the front door when she
encountered Wallace Ashley.

   "The uniform looks terrific on you, Susan."

   "It serves its purpose," she replied.

   "I'd appreciate it if you would talk to my wife. I think she's very sorry for
Saturday night."

   "There's nothing to talk about, Wally. She made her feelings perfectly clear.
I don't have a problem with the way things are."

   "It's my fault, Susan. I never really explained about you to her. She made up
her mind without all the facts."

   "Last time I checked, we're all guilty of that on occasion, Wally."

   "Still, I'd like for you to talk to her. I think you might find that her
opinion of you has changed quite a bit."

    "I'll think about it, but you know I don't accept apologies. So, don't get
your hopes up."

    "I won't, Susan. Just give her a chance."

    Susan walked out the door, passing Frank Goldstein as she did, and got in
the waiting taxi.

    "That was the Wayne woman, wasn't it?"

    "Yes. She looks very different when she is in uniform."

    "She has a chest full of 'fruit salad' and the scrambled eggs on the cap are
impressive. I've seen female generals before, but never one that cut a figure
the way she does."

   "She was out of uniform, gentlemen," said a young lieutenant colonel that
came up from behind the two men.

   Goldstein looked at the young officer and said, "You be sure and tell her
that when she gets back. I'll use what's left of you to feed my cat."

   "Being a senior officer doesn't give her any rights to flout uniform
regulations," insisted the young officer.

   "Just let us know Lieutenant Colonel Ira King when you get ready to tell her
the rules and regulations. Anyway, what about her uniform was not regulation?"

   "The thing attached to her belt on right side isn't regulation, nor is the
funny green broach she had on the right side of her chest."

   "I always wondered if you were as dumb as I think you look kid. Now I know," 
said Ashley derisively.

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

END PART 18

19

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