Synopsis written by Richard Heider.
*Alternate synopsis written by Lee Matthews and Rogan Keel can be read here.

---

TEASER
Out of the past.

SHERIDAN'S QUARTERS

      Delenn narrates in voiceover as we review the last scene of the previous episode. John is sleeping peacefully in his bed.

Delenn (VO): The humans have a phrase: "What is past is prologue." [That's Shakespeare, if you're wondering.]

      She has been sitting, watching John. She turns away with a satisfied smile.

FLASHBACK

      We see a replay of a snip from Anna's letter to Lizzie (Revelations). [Actually, it's a skillful recreation, with Melissa Gilbert, the real Mrs. Bruce Boxleitner, in the role originated by Beverly Leech.]

Anna (on monitor): I am really excited about signing on board the Icarus next week. [As John watches with a stricken expression.] John and I were supposed to spend some time together, but Dr. Chang thinks he's found the ruins of an ancient civilization that no one's even heard of before!

      Now we see the Icarus on approach to the Shadow homeworld (In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum).

Kosh (VO):

      The IPX ship has landed amid a cluster of ancient pillars inscribed with strange rune-like markings. The crew have begun to explore the area.

John (VO): Anna! The Icarus! They found something, didn't they?
Delenn (VO) [whispering]: Yes! [Now at normal volume, but very intense:] Once awakened, the Shadows could not allow them to leave! [The camera moves into the cave.] Those who would not serve --- were killed!

      Now John is interrogating Morden (In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum).

John: One hundred and thirty-nine people died onboard the Icarus, Mr. Morden! Including my wife! [Pause.] And here you sit, not a scratch!

      We return to John's bedroom, where Delenn now stands watching from the doorway. By the way, she appears to be wearing John's bathrobe.

Delenn (VO): When Minbari become close, as we have become close, it is tradition that they spend three nights together. The male sleeps, and the female watches. As you relax, your true face is revealed.

      Delenn walks into the living room, where she finds a snow globe on a table. She picks it up to admire it under the dim light, and she tips it to set the snow flying.

      The entrance door opens of its own accord and a woman steps in.

Woman [matter-of-fact]: Hello. You must be Delenn. I'm Anna Sheridan. John's wife.

      The snow globe slips from Delenn's fingers and falls to the floor. Both the globe and Delenn's world shatter in the same instant of time.

Delenn (VO): Minbari also have a phrase: "What is past is also sometimes future."

SHERIDAN'S QUARTERS

      As the flashbacks end and we pick up the thread of the story, John has been awakened by the noise of the shattering globe and stumbled into the living room. He is stunned to see his two true loves unexpectedly facing one another, and we just know his first words will be exquisitely stupid.

John: Anna? My God! What are you doing here?
Anna: "What are you doing here?" [Steps forward.] After five years, that's the best that you can do?

      John opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Meanwhile, Delenn has hastily slipped into her clothes and steps to his side.

Anna: Though under the circumstances, I can understand. [Still gaping, John turns to Delenn.]
Delenn [embarrassed]: I --- I should go. [Just barely audible:] I should go. [She hurries to the door.]
John: No, w... Delenn, wait!
Anna: It's all right, John, let her go! You can talk to her later. This should be a moment for us.
John [agonized]: I thought you were dead!
Anna [disbelieving]: You mean she didn't ------ she didn't tell you? Well, that is interesting! [Emotionally:] Oh, John! I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you myself! I'm sorry for leaving you alone for so long, not being able to get word to you! [Smiles.] But that's all behind us now! We're together...

      She has walked right up to him and reaches out to touch him. He recoils. They both stand frozen for a moment.

Anna: I know what you're thinking. How can you be sure if it's really me? For all you know --- for all she told you --- I could be some thing made up to look like me! Fine. I'll take whatever test you want! Ask me any question! I don't mind! I know that there's a lot that you don't know. I know there's a lot that you don't understand! [Steps up to him again.] I'm here to fix that! [Touches him, and this time he lets her.] Don't you wanna know what it's all about? [Smiles.] What it's really all about? I can do that! All you have to do is come with me!
John [still floundering]: Where?
Anna: Where else? To Z'ha'dum!

      Anna's smile of ecstasy is met with John's stony mask of horror. [He should be remembering what Kosh said on the subject. Perhaps he does. Certainly he will.]

A DOCKING BAY

      Citizen G'Kar leads Commander Ivanova into the bay, beaming with satisfaction.

G'Kar: Here they are, Commander, as promised! The ambassador from Gaim was happy to deliver them! [A collection of sizeable boxes is laid out on the bay floor.] Each of these devices carries terrible destructive force! In human terms, they can deliver a thermonuclear blast of five or six hundred megatons!
Ivanova: Will they show up on a scanner?
G'Kar: Only if you know what you're looking for! Otherwise, they're completely undetectable!
Ivanova: So the next time we find out where the Shadows plan to strike, we can mine the area. And as soon as they come out of hyperspace ---
G'Kar: Then, as you so concisely say, "Boom!"
Ivanova: Good! Thank you for delivering these, G'Kar. The Captain will be very happy about this.
G'Kar: Where is Sheridan? I thought he would be here.
Ivanova: Well, it's a little hard to explain. Let's just say that something came up.

MEDLAB

      Sheridan looks on through the glass as Anna, all smiles, sits on an examination table. Franklin and an assistant are just done giving her a once-over. Franklin comes out of the room to speak with the Captain. He walks gingerly, which is only natural, since he has not yet had time to recover from his wound.

Sheridan: Well?
Franklin: She's human. Checked her dental and medical records against what you gave me. It's a one hundred percent match, right down to her DNA sequence! Every piece of equipment I've got says that's your wife!
Sheridan [looks back at Anna, not willing to accept it]: Anna died at Z'ha'dum!
Franklin: Well, she looks pretty lively to me. I thought you'd be happy to have her back.
Sheridan: Ah, it's not that easy! It was years before I could finally accept her death! I had to force myself to start over, to create a new life! And Delenn ---
Franklin: Have you talked to her yet?
Sheridan: She was in my quarters when Anna showed up! [Returns to Topic A.] Is there anything else?
Franklin [shakes his head]: There's some epidermal scarring just above the nape of her neck. Now, it may have been caused when the Icarus was destroyed, but, uh...
Sheridan: Anything beneath it?
Franklin: No, no. Now, maybe it's nothing, but it never hurts to run a few more tests.
Sheridan [determined]: All right, do so! If this is a trick, I'm gonna take it out of somebody's hide! If it's not, and that really is Anna ------ I have to know, Stephen!

      Anna's eyes follow John as he walks out of the lab.

THE ROTUNDA

      John has found Delenn in a room dominated by a large Ranger banner. He confronts her about Anna. He wants answers.

John: Is it her? Is it?
Delenn [averts her eyes]: I don't know! [She's as pained as he is.]
John [accusing]: You don't know! You and Kosh came to my quarters! You showed me images from Z'ha'dum of Anna and the crew of the Icarus waking up the Shadows! [Suddenly grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her roughly.] You gave me every reason to believe she was dead! Now, how could you do that when you didn't know for sure?
Delenn [insistently]: Those who would not serve the Shadows were killed! That we knew without question! We assumed she would not serve! Perhaps we were wrong!
John [furious]: Anna would never work for those things!
Delenn: Then I have no explanation!
John [turns away and echoes accusingly]: You have no explanation! [He's losing it. He turns back to her.] That's it? Ah, damn it, Delenn, I have always felt that you --- you were holding out on me on a couple of things! I figured you had your reasons, but this? I mean, if you weren't sure, if there was even a chance of her being alive, why the hell didn't you tell me?
Delenn [rushes to him and almost cries]: Because you would have gone to Z'ha'dum after her! We couldn't allow that! [This rocks John down to his heels. He takes great offense.]
John: You and Kosh! You couldn't allow it! [The wind suddenly out of his sails, he sits on a bench.] I trusted you, Delenn. I cared for you, I let myself start to love you. [The heat of his anger rises again.] Do you know what that means? Do you know how hard that was for me? [Delenn can't find an answer.] All along, a little part of me was still in love with Anna, even though she was gone! I had to fight that part off ------ every time I --- I thought about you, about ------ about holding you, about building a life for the two of us!
Delenn [anguished, she sits down beside him and pleads]: John, you must believe me! I didn't know she was alive! We assumed that she had died with the rest of the crew of the Icarus, that only Morden had survived!
John [quietly]: And had you known, would you have told me?
Delenn [caught unprepared]: It would depend. It would depend on --- what she had become. Z'ha'dum is the homeworld of the Shadows. No one leaves there the same as they arrived.
John [thinks about it before speaking]: You would have denied me the right to make that choice! [Seething with cold anger, he stands up.] How can you say that and ever expect me to trust you again? [Delenn is desolate. He starts to walk away.]
Delenn: John! I do love you! If you believe nothing else I ever say, please! Please believe that!

      John walks out without a backward glance. Delenn bows her head in despair, bringing her folded hands up to meet her lips as if in prayer.

THE ZOCALO

      Londo, seated at a table, calls for another drink. Vir sits down at the table.

Vir: Londo, you've been like this ever since the diplomatic pouch arrived this morning! At least you can do is tell me what's wrong! [Yeah, it's grammatically incorrect. Nevertheless...]
Londo [moans]: Oh, gods, Vir! [Pushes a rolled-up document across the table.] I have been promoted, Vir! [Vir opens it and begins to read.] I have been offered a position in the Royal Court as an advisor to Emperor Cartagia in matters of planetary security. A very important position. [Drinks.]
Vir: This is great news! Why would you be upset?
Londo [bitter]: Because! It should have come to me twenty years ago, when I could've appreciated it! And because it wasn't given to me because I earned it. They are, I think, afraid of me. Through our friend Mr. Morden, I have gained influence and money and power. And they think I will move against Cartagia.
Vir: Then why would they reward you?
Londo: It's not a reward, it's a leash! I will have to divide my time between here and the Homeworld! They're reeling me in. They will watch me very carefully. And if I do anything suspicious, they will find me in the morning with my throat slit ear to ear. [Finishes his drink.]

      A stranger, a human, steps up to the table and places a fresh drink in front of Londo. Londo, thinking it's the bartender, pushes some coins in his direction.

Londo: Keep the change.
Man: No charge, Ambassador.
Londo: And who are you, hmmm?
Man: A friend. I was sent by our mutual associates. I have a message. You must leave the station at once.
Londo: And why must I leave? I am very comfortable where I am.
Man: I have told you all I can. If you won't go, I can't be responsible. But if you value your life, you will leave. Quickly.

      The stranger walks away.

Vir: Friend of Mr. Morden's?
Londo: Very likely. I do not like the sound of this, Vir. No, I do not like the sound of this at all! [Drinks.]

      [And what is Mr. Morden up to? We'll find out.]

MEDLAB

      Franklin is studying an "analysis scan" on his monitor. An image that looks somewhat like an x-ray shows a profile labeled "Anna Sheridan". It highlights two points on the skin at the base of the skull. The doctor switches to a similar image labeled "Carolyn Sanderson" (Ship of Tears). It shows the cybernetic implants in and on Carolyn's head. They terminate at two points at the base of her skull. He overlays the two images and confirms his suspicion that the points coincide.

SHERIDAN'S QUARTERS

      Anna finds a hinged photo frame lying on a shelf. She picks it up and opens it. Inside she finds a pair of photos of her wedding to John. [In real life, they are photos of Bruce and Melissa's wedding.] She studies them intently for a moment before putting on a smile and turning around to face John.

Anna [brightly]: I don't think I have ever been examined in such detail before! [Sits on the couch, placing the photos upright on the coffee table.] Well, except by you, of course! [Laughs.] Well, at least his report confirms that I am who I say I am!
John [setting his comp-pad down on a table by the door]: And you've been on Z'ha'dum all these years?
Anna: Mm-hm!
John: Doing what? I mean, after all this time, why come back now?
Anna: I can't tell you that. Not here --- you have to come with me! I can guarantee your safety. They're eager to meet you!
John: Hm, and if I don't go?
Anna: Then I'll go back without you. And you'll never know the truth!
John [wary]: No threats?
Anna [amused]: John! They aren't what you think they are! [Gets up and crosses to him.] No! No threats! No ultimatums. Just an invitation to come and hear their side of the story, nothing more.
John: Why would you go back there?
Anna: Because it's my home now. I'm doing important work! You'll understand when we get there!
John [firmly]: No! I'm not going anywhere until I get some answers! I want to know what happened to you and the crew of the Icarus when you landed on Z'ha'dum!
Anna [arguing]: John, I...
John: That's my condition! Just tell me that much!
Anna: And you'll go with me to Z'ha'dum?
John [takes a while to consider]: I'll go.

SHERIDAN'S QUARTERS

      Anna and John's conversation continues. We begin with a closeup view of the wedding photos.

Anna: Interplanetary Expeditions said that one of their probes out on the Rim had found the ruins of an ancient civilization. [She is sitting in a large easy chair. John is pacing.] Dr. Chang was putting together a follow-up expedition, and he wanted me on his team. It was the find of a lifetime! What he didn't tell me --- or most of the crew --- was where he really got the information. [The scene switches to a long shot of Mars.] A few years earlier, IPX had found an alien ship buried beneath the surface of Mars. [Now we see the excavation (Messages From Earth).] It was unlike anything they'd ever seen before! As soon as it was exposed to daylight, an automatic beacon on board sent out a coded message. [The scene changes to the bunkers.] Well, they knew whoever the ship belonged to would be coming in fast to pick it up, so they moved quickly. [Shuttles fly over the bunkers.] They analyzed the ship, took pieces of it for study later, and planted a homing device inside. Three days later, another ship turned up and finished digging it out of the ground. [John listens, scowling.] When it left [we see the two battlecrabs flying up from Mars], IPX was able to track it through hyperspace to a world out on the Rim.
John: Z'ha'dum.
Anna: We didn't have a name for it at the time. And Chang was under strict orders from Earthforce New Technologies Division to keep this Top Secret. [We see Icarus on approach to Z'ha'dum and then parked on the planet's surface.] As soon as we landed, we picked up an energy source. We were told to check it out. [We enter the cave...] And that's when we found them. [The Shadow's fourteen eyes glow a baleful red.]
John: The Shadows.
Anna [laughs]: It's a very dramatic name, but not a very descriptive one! Their actual name is ten thousand letters long! I couldn't pronounce it if I tried! And I have! They were quite approachable.
John: Tell that to the rest of the crew.
Anna [turns somber, stands, and steps away, her back to him]: There was an accident. The crew was killed. The comm system destroyed. Those of us who survived had no way to tell Earth what had happened. And even if we could have, the aliens had just come out of hibernation, they were vulnerable! They couldn't risk exposure to outsiders! So they made a deal. In exchange for our silence, they let us study their technology. [Excited.] John! We have learned things in the last five years that will change Earth forever! Imagine! No more poverty! Limitless cheap energy. Organic ships! We could leap ahead a thousand years! Ten thousand!
John: And all you had to do was let us think you were dead!
Anna: It wasn't what I wanted. Besides, you were the one who always said our personal lives had to take second place to serving Earth! We didn't realize how much time had passed! It doesn't work quite the same way there as it does here! But now I'm back, John! And I've come to take you back with me. [Walks up to him and caresses his cheek just as Delenn has learned to do.] So you can see for yourself. So they can tell you what this is about --- what it's really all about. Delenn, Kosh, and the others, they have misled you again and again! It's time to learn the truth!
John [softens his suspicious scowl, even smiles]: You're right. Maybe it is time.

      Rapturously happy, Anna wraps her arms around John's neck and gives him a big hug. John returns the hug, but his suspicious look returns. His eyes drift over to where the comp-pad lies. On it are the two images of Anna's and Carolyn's heads. He knows.

SHERIDAN'S OFFICE

      John walks across the room, holding the com-pad. Garibaldi enters.

Garibaldi: Captain, I heard about ------ Well, I heard about Anna. Anything I can do?
Sheridan [curtly]: No, thank you! That situation is well in hand. But there is something you can do on another matter. According to the logs, the Minbari crew of the White Star haven't been logged into the security net.
Garibaldi: No, sir. Figured it wasn't necessary. Delenn vouched for them.
Sheridan: I understand, but we should have that information in case we ever need it. I want them shuttled over, processed, given identicards, the usual. All of them.
Garibaldi: Who's gonna run the ship while they're here?
Sheridan: The White Star can orbit the station on autopilot for a few hours, no problem.
Garibaldi [sighs]: All right, I guess we can do that. Anything else?
Sheridan: Yes. While you're at it, I need a few things taken care of. It's all here. [Hands over the comp-pad.] You will, of course, keep this confidential.
Garibaldi: These days, what around here isn't confidential? [Turns to go, and takes a look at the pad.] I'll take care of --- [Stops, turns around, looks at Sheridan with surprise.] Son of a bitch!
Sheridan [playing it cool]: It's against regulations to address a senior officer in those terms, Mr. Garibaldi. [Gets serious.] Michael, when I first came here, I wasn't sure about you. You weren't sure about me. Since then, I have come to trust you, to rely on you. Now, I need you to take care of this for me. No questions, no speculations, hunches, or educated guesses. All right? [It takes Michael a moment, but he nods.] Good! And when I see you next, if everything is set ------ we'll talk about the weather.

SPACE

      A shuttle flies from the White Star to the station.

SHERIDAN'S QUARTERS

      Sheridan loads and holsters his PPG. Then he goes to a dresser, opens a drawer, and takes out a second PPG. As he looks the weapon over, he becomes aware of the mirror in front of him. There's someone standing behind him --- a Vorlon.

Kosh:

      Startled, Sheridan spins around. There is no one there. Turning back to the mirror, he finds no one but himself. He shakes off the spooked feeling, and then with a steely look he marches into the front room and speaks to the monitor.

Sheridan: Comm system, I want to record a time-delayed message for Ambassador Delenn.
Computer: Stand by.

DOCKING BAY 5

      Garibaldi is waiting, pacing, when Sheridan enters, escorting Anna.

Garibaldi: Afternoon, Captain.
Sheridan: Mr. Garibaldi. Is there a problem?
Garibaldi: Nope, just taking a walk. I, uh, heard a weather report from Earth. They've had a late winter, but it's finally started snowing in New York.
Sheridan: Well, it must be very pretty there this time of year.
Garibaldi: Yes, sir. Must be.
Sheridan [offers his hand]: Take care, Michael.
Garibaldi: You too.

SPACE

      A shuttle, a different one, flies out from the station to the White Star.

THE WHITE STAR

      John and Anna step onto the bridge and over to the navigation controls. He starts to operate them.

Anna: You sure you can run this thing by yourself?
John: I think so. I've watched them whenever we've gone out. The ship's control system is pretty intelligent, so as long as we don't run into any trouble, we should be fine.
Anna: You're guaranteed safe passage.
John [settling into the Captain's chair]: Well, then, let's get this show on the road, huh? Next stop: Z'ha'dum!

HYPERSPACE

      The little warship zooms through the red murk of hyperspace.

THE WHITE STAR

      Anna reaches out curiously to a lighting fixture in the bulkhead, acting as if she were afraid to actually touch it. As it turns out, she is.

Anna: Wish we could have taken a different ship. This one's based partially on Vorlon technology. The aliens believe they'll die if anything remotely Vorlon touches Z'ha'dum!
John: Then we won't risk it! When we get there, we'll take the shuttle down to the surface.

      Reassured, Anna smiles. The ship continues on course.

BLUE 7

      Ivanova steps out of a transport tube and runs into Dr. Franklin, who is in a bit of a flap.

Franklin: Susan, I just checked the logs! The Captain's gone!
Ivanova: I know, I just found out about it myself! I'm running it down now. There must be a reason!
Franklin: Look, you don't understand! I mean, why did he do it? I, I gave him the report, I know he read it!
Ivanova: What report?
Franklin: There's a problem with Anna! [And we know what it is, don't we?]

SPACE

      The White Star pops out of hyperspace near the Shadow Homeworld.

Z'HA'DUM

      The shuttle lands, and Anna leads John to the entrance to the underground city. They enter an airlock, and after a moment, Anna removes her breather mask. John follows suit.

Anna: For security reasons, they moved their main structures underground centuries ago. John, I'll need your gun. [He gives it to her reluctantly. They pass through another door.] They designed this part of the complex specifically for us.
John: "Us"?
Anna: You'll see. [They continue down a long corridor. John stops at one of the doors and looks for a way to open it.] No, not that door. This one! [She knocks, and a voice is heard from inside.]
Voice [muffled]: Yes! Come in! [They enter to find a grey-haired man excitedly coming to meet them, walking with a cane. Morden stands quietly in the far corner of the room.] Anna! You got him to come back with you! Excellent, just excellent! Come in, please! Have a seat. [Anna passes the PPG to Morden before sitting.] I'm, uh, making some tea. It's chamomile, but I can make something else if you'd like. [Morden slips the gun into his belt. He and Sheridan glare at each other across the room.] It helps me sleep better. Captain, I think you already know... [Indicates Morden.]
John [with no discernable warmth]: Yes.
Morden [smugly]: Hello, Captain!
Grey-haired man: Have a seat --- please!
John [not moving]: Who are you?
Man: Now, that's really not --- important.
John [insistent]: Who are you?
Man: Who decides that the work day is from 9 to 5 instead of 11 to 4? Who decides that the hemlines will be below the knee this year, and short again next year? Who draws up the borders, controls the currency, handles all of the decisions that happen transparently around us?
John: I don't know.
Man: Ah! I'm --- with them! Same group, different department! Think of me as a sort of --- middleman. And the name --- is Justin. Come in now. Sit, sit! The tea's getting cold.

DELENN'S QUARTERS

      The ambassador's monitor has chirped at her, and she comes in from the bedroom to answer it.

Delenn: Yes?
Computer: Authorization needed to deliver time-delay message recorded by Captain Sheridan. Do you accept?
Delenn [answers with some trepidation]: Yes.
John (recorded): Delenn, by the time you get this message, I will be at Z'ha'dum with Anna. [Delenn involuntarily takes in a sharp breath and rocks backward.] I can pretty much guess your reaction when you hear this, but I think it's the only way. When you and I were in the time rift with Babylon 4, for a moment, I jumped forward in time. We'd won the war, but Centauri Prime had been devastated. You said that this future couldn't be changed! You also told me:

FLASHBACK

Delenn: Do not go to Z'ha'dum! Do you understand? Do not go to Z'ha'dum! (War Without End, Part 2)

DELENN'S QUARTERS

      The recording continues.

John: I began to wonder: What if that future happened because I listened to your warning and didn't go to Z'ha'dum? What if --- What if I could prevent the fall of Centauri Prime and end the Shadow War by going there? [Delenn watches with sick fascination.] What I want is to stay alive, to be with you! But you were right before. This is about more than what I want. So I'm going, even though I know it's almost certainly a trap.

Z'HA'DUM

      Justin brings the teapot from the kitchen.

Justin: You see, John, back a million years ago, there were forces prowling around the galaxy [pours] beyond anything that we could understand. [Pours for Anna.] And, like anything else, most of them outgrew [pours for himself] this little corner of the universe and headed off toward greener pastures. [Sits.] Now, two of them stayed behind. Shepherds, you might call them. They wanted to look after the younger races, bring them around, help them evolve into something better!
Morden: One of these was the Vorlons. The other was what you call the Shadows.
Justin: The Vorlons are like your parents, I suppose. They want you to "play nice, clean your room, do it by the rules". I guess you could call them "Lords of Order".
Anna: The others, the ones who live here, believe that strength only comes from conflict. They want to release our potential, not bottle it up!
Justin: It's really simple! You bring two sides together, they fight! A lot of them die! But those who survive are stronger, smarter, and better!
Morden: It's like --- knocking over an anthill! Every new generation gets stronger, the anthill gets redesigned, made better!
Sheridan: So that's what the Shadows do. Come out every few thousand years and kick over all the anthills. Start wars, destroy entire races!
Justin: A few get lost along the way, yes, and that's unfortunate. I don't think it was ever easy. But you can't let that get in the way of the dream!

COMMAND AND CONTROL

Corwin: Commander, I'm picking up a disturbance!
Ivanova: Location?
Corwin: All around us!

SPACE

      The Shadow battle fleet phases into space all around the station.

COMMAND AND CONTROL

      Ivanova looks. She's frightened.

Ivanova: Red alert! Red alert!

FIGHTER PILOTS' READY ROOM

      The sound of a klaxon sends the pilots running for their Starfuries.

C&C

Ivanova: Status!
Corwin: They're not moving! Holding position!
Ivanova: All fighter squadrons launch, but do not approach until authorized to fire!

SPACE

      Babylon 5's puny complement of fighters drop from the cobra bays and interpose themselves between the Shadows and the station.

Z'HA'DUM

      Mr. Morden rises from his seat. He and the others are playing Sheridan like a fish on a line.

Morden: Think about, it, Captain! Look at the long history of human struggle! Six thousand years of recorded wars! Bloodshed, atrocities beyond description! But look what came out of all that. We've gone to the stars, split the atom, written sonnets! We never would have come this far if we hadn't been at each other's throats, evolving our way up, inch by inch!
Anna: It was supposed to be an equal balance between our side and the Vorlons. But the Vorlons decided that their way was the right way. They enlisted the support of other worlds, like the Minbari. They even started interfering with the development of younger races!
Morden: When you look at a Vorlon, you see what they want you to see. They've manipulated us so we'd respond favorably to them! They've even interfered --- at a genetic level, taking humans and adjusting them! Why do you think certifiable telepaths came out of nowhere a hundred years ago?
Justin: They created telepaths on a hundred worlds to use as cannon fodder for the next war, but fortunately, our friends got there first and, with the help of the Psi Corps, made sure they came out on our side! John, they think that the human race shows great potential! When all this is over, we can be riding high! The first to rebuild, making things our own way! But the only thing that's standing in our way now is you! So, we can either work together now, or we can remove your support mechanism.

      John looks puzzled. "Support mechanism"?

BABYLON 5

      Starfuries fly around the station as more Starfuries launch. Chief Garibaldi pilots one of the last to go.

C&C

      Ivanova can't get through the Shadows' jamming to contact Draal. [But I think we can assume Draal has noticed. The question is, will he be able to help?] Corwin wonders why the Shadows aren't doing anything.

Ivanova: This has got to have something to do with the Captain. But what? What are they waiting for?

Z'HA'DUM

Anna: Everything depends on getting the other races to fight each other, to create conflict in order to promote growth and evolution! By getting them to cooperate, you are working against that goal!
Morden: Whenever this starts, there's always someone who tries to organize the other races. You've done it! That's a commendable achievement! But as far as our goals are concerned, unproductive!
John: So, why don't you just kill me?
Justin: Doesn't work! Somebody'd just come around and replace you! That's always been the trouble with creating martyrs! We brought you here hoping you'd understand us! Work with us, not against us! You're important! You're what they call a nexus. You turn one way, and the whole world has a tendency to go the same way. Let go of those other races! You can't hold them together! Evolution will be served one way or another! So you can work with us or...
John: Or you'll do to me what you did to Anna!

      That's a conversation stopper! The three Shadow agents look at one another in complete consternation.

Anna [haltingly]: I don't know what you're...
John: The memories are there, the voice is there, the DNA is there --- but the personality ------ I look in her eyes, and the woman I love, the woman that I married --- isn't there. [The trio are still dumbfounded.] She would never go along with this!
Justin [rising]: You're right. Just so. You see, when she came here five years ago, she was given the choice, the same choice that we're giving you. [John's left hand drifts slowly down his leg toward his ankle.] She made the mistake of choosing badly.
John [angry]: You stuck her in one of those ships, didn't you? [While Justin deals with yet another unexpected bit of truth, John reaches for the gun in his ankle holster.]
Morden: How did you know?
John: A few months ago, we intercepted a ship full of people who were going to be merged with the Shadow vessels. They had implants in the brain stem, right back here! [Points.] The scars in the back of her head are in exactly the same place!
Justin [dropping the friendly act]: Our associates needed fresh bodies for the central processing units in their ships! But we pulled her out as soon as we found out who she was and who you are! But once you've been inside of one of those ships for a while, you're never --- quite whole --- again. But you do what you're told! [A Shadow steps into the room behind John.] And so will you!

      John spins, rising into a crouch. Taking dead aim at the Shadow, he fires four quick shots.

C&C

      G'Kar runs onto the command deck in a frantic state.

G'Kar: Commander!
Ivanova: G'Kar, good! Can we get those nuclear weapons outside where they can do some good?
G'Kar: I'm afraid not! Even if we could get them out, at this range they'd vaporize us right along with the enemy!
Ivanova: Maybe. How many of those bombs do we have?
G'Kar: That's what I came to tell you! Two of the devices are missing!
Ivanova: What?

Z'HA'DUM

      John has literally been through a war. He's beat up, covered with blood, and he grasps at the rocks of a rough-hewn passageway for support. He works his way to an opening and finds himself on a balcony overlooking a fair portion of the underground city far below him, with streets, buildings, and more of the obelisks that we saw on the surface. But directly below him is the maw of a great pit that seems to have no bottom. Looking up, he sees the dome of a great skylight in the midst of the rocky ceiling. He reaches for his link and taps something on the buttons.

SPACE

      Above the Shadow planet, the orbiting White Star fires its engines. In its hold, the two thermonuclear weapons wake up.

Computer voice: Thermal fusion system armed for detonation.

      The frigate begins a rapid descent toward the planet.

Z'HA'DUM

      John stands looking up at the skylight. He turns at the sound of a voice.

Anna: John. [She is some distance back in the tunnel. She walks slowly toward him.] There's nowhere to run. Come back inside, we can work this out. [He stares, tired and frightened.]

SPACE

      The White Star continues its plunge.

Z'HA'DUM

Anna: I know this isn't the Anna that you knew. What I am is what was made in her. A new personality. She can never come back, but I can love you as well as she did.

THE WHITE STAR

      The bombs' control panels begin to beep.

DELENN'S QUARTERS

      On Delenn's monitor, John's farewell message is wrapping up.

John: Finally, I heard what you said when I left. And I want you to know --- that I love you, Delenn. [She caresses his face with her hand as she has done many times before.] Goodbye.

      The recording ends. Delenn turns her back to the wall and slumps, sobbing, to the floor.

Z'HA'DUM

      Looking up once more, John sees the White Star breaking through the cloud cover above the dome. He looks down into the pit. A voice speaks urgently:

Kosh:

      John looks back at Anna. She is just beyond arms' length now, and reaching out to him. In desperation, he vaults to the top of the balcony railing and leaps into space. He falls endlessly.

      Anna races to the railing and looks. There's no catching him, he's gone. Then, a brilliant white light from above arrests her attention. The White Star is burning white-hot from the speed of its plunge as it crashes through the dome. Anna shrieks her war cry one last time as the brilliance of the White Star is eclipsed by the ultimate brilliance of two 500-megaton bombs.

BABYLON 5

      The Shadow war fleet shrieks as one and ripples away into nothingness. But one cruiser initiates a close encounter with Mister Garibaldi's Starfury.

C&C

      Lieutenant Corwin expresses everyone's bafflement.

Corwin: They're leaving! I don't get it! What happened?
G'Kar: They wouldn't just leave. Unless we were no longer a threat. [Ivanova is cut to the heart as she realizes what it means.]
Ivanova [whispers]: Oh, he's gone!

DELENN'S QUARTERS

      Delenn grieves, staring at a single candle in the darkness. G'Kar speaks in voiceover.

G'Kar (VO): It was the end of the Earth year 2260, and the war had paused, suddenly and unexpectedly.

      Lennier steps up behind Delenn, placing his hand on her shoulder. She rises from her chair and steps away. He sits down in her place.

G'Kar (VO): All around us, it was as if the universe were holding its breath, waiting.

SHERIDAN'S OFFICE

      The camera pans over the certificates and memorabilia on display behind Sheridan's desk.

G'Kar (VO): All of life can be broken down into moments of transition or moments of revelation. This had the feeling of both!

      The camera stops on a photo of Anna, thrown carelessly into an open drawer and partially covered by a white cloth.

C&C

      Corwin steps over to Ivanova, who is staring at nothing in particular.

Corwin: Commander?
Ivanova: Any word on the Captain? Anything at all?
Corwin: We've tried everything. The White Star isn't receiving. As far as we can tell, it's been destroyed. There's something else. We checked the fighter bays. One of the fighters we sent out didn't come back.
Ivanova [flinches, then responds with resignation]: Who was the pilot?
Corwin: Mr. Garibaldi.

SPACE

      The station is darkened, all alone in the night.

G'Kar (VO): G'Quan wrote, " There is a greater darkness than the one we fight. It is the darkness of the soul that has lost its way. The war we fight is not against powers and principalities, it is against chaos and despair!"

HYPERSPACE

      A single Shadow cruiser flies on a mission.

G'Kar (VO): Greater than the death of flesh is the death of hope, the death of dreams! Against this peril we can never surrender!

      As the cruiser passes, we see dimly a Starfury swallowed up inside it.

Z'HA'DUM

      A few Shadow cruisers hover over an enormous smoking hole in the ground.

G'Kar (VO): The future is all around us, waiting in moments of transition to be born in moments of revelation. No one knows the shape of that future or where it will take us. We know only that it is always born in pain.

["Those who would not serve were killed." Delenn's analysis is not quite correct. Many who would not serve, serve anyway. However, they suffer a death worse than death in the process of becoming servants (see The Shadow Within and Invoking Darkness), so in a sense she's right. The question is, did she come to that conclusion on her own, or did Kosh mislead her? And check Invoking Darkness for the full story on Anna's return and John's fight on Z'ha'dum.]

"Z'HA'DUM" synopsis © 2005 Richard Heider. Do not reproduce without author's express permission.