Темное, кривое зеркало. Том 3 : След на песке

'He wanted you….'

* * *

'Uh…. hi.'

Valen turned, and smiled warmly as he saw the figure approaching him. 'Lyta. Welcome.'

'I was just…. that is, just wandering. I heard you were here and….'

'Please, stay with me.'

'I will,' she whispered.

* * *

And he saw….

Random images, thoughts and feelings, faces….

Some he recognised, some he did not. A Minbari he thought he knew. The one who had been standing next to G'Kar once…. He was kneeling, saying something. The words didn't matter so much as the meaning. Then he rose to his feet and, not saying a word, bowed and left. He knew he would never return.

'What?' John Sheridan whispered. Darkness was engulfing them, but there was a light, just ahead. He made for it.

A face he did not recognise, one he had seen once, but whose name he had forgotten. He was talking, in a scholarly, lecturing tone of voice. His words were…. important, somehow.

John blinked and staggered on. The light seemed further away than ever.

A face he had never seen. Coughing blood, trying to whisper something. Words he could not hear, could not understand. A sudden and shocking feeling of absolute grief, of absolute anger.

The light was there, directly before him. John blinked.

'Be one,' said a voice.

Another voice. 'I am lost in darkness for you.' Her voice.

John started. That…. felt wrong. Very wrong. Out of place. A memory. A dream.

'I am lost in darkness for you.'

'There is no darkness here,' he said softly. 'I love you, Delenn.'

'Love is not enough,' said the first voice. 'To love, you must understand.'

'I…. see.'

'Be one, and understand.'

'I will.'

* * *

'I thought this man was joking, of course. A madman even. He offered me all the power, money, resources, everything I needed. He didn't explain how he could get me these things. He just said he had a number of…. associates he could call on to help.

'And so I asked him what he wanted in return….

''Just a little favour. I've helped you out, so when we need help in turn, you'll owe us a favour. Simple as that.'

''Ah…. Mr….. Morden, was it? Mr. Morden, I am an experienced businessman. I know a great deal about the give and take of bargaining. Nobody ever wants nothing for something. You came here for a very definite reason, and if you want to give me all these things you've promised, then it's because you think I can give you something back in return. What is it?'

''Very perceptive, Mr. Edgars. I…. represent certain interested parties. Allies of humanity, you might say. Now, these associates of mine have a certain skill in foreseeing the future, and they have divined that one day, not too many years from now, a leader will arise. Someone very powerful, capable of changing the political alignment of the galaxy. My associates are waiting until the political climate is right for this leader to emerge, but he must be…. guided, controlled…. advised, even. My associates believe that there is one person uniquely suited to serve as liaison between us and this leader. Currently, she is working for Interplanetary Expeditions in a minor exploratory position. We would like you to guide her and keep her safe until such time as this leader arises. That is all.'

''Who is this person? And what link does she have with this…. leader you expect?'

''Her name…. is Catherine Sakai. And she has a greater link with him than you might imagine.'

'I asked for time to think about the matter, and this was granted. I used that time to check out your background and credentials, which were both most favourable. The next time Mr. Morden contacted me, I agreed to his offer.

'The next few months were ones of quite frantic activity. I contacted the executive board of IPX and arranged a takeover of my company. Very few of them knew the exact details of why I wanted that takeover, and only one knew just how much of my company was in fact being taken over. A young and dynamic board member named Orin Zento.

'This done, and with Edgars' Industries now a part of Interplanetary Expeditions, I announced my formal and public retirement. I faded behind the scenes and to all intents and purposes I died, alone in the shadows. This gave me the room to manoeuvre.

'Time passed, the political situation changed. Orion fell, and IPX lost a lot of its resources. With the help of Mr. Morden and his associates however, we survived, and were able to pursue an aggressive marketing strategy, taking over other companies. We became as powerful as I'd always dreamed, and I was there in the shadows, a hand on the tiller so to speak. Mr. Zento then became CEO, with not a little influence from yours truly. He knew a little of the bargain I'd made with Mr. Morden, just enough for him to be suitably helpful.

'During this time you were promoted, and given more and more responsibility. We had you sit in on meetings of the Resistance Government, at the request of Mr. Morden and his associates. We gave you tasks to prove your worth, and you were more than ready.

'Other matters also concerned us at this time. The…. G'Kar incidents. I'm not sure how much you know about his more…. secretive activities, but G'Kar has been building a fairly powerful private army for the past few years. He has allies everywhere, he knows almost everything that is going on in the galaxy. He also has the backing of some of Mr. Morden's associates. I do not know the full details, but I have gathered that some of Morden's friends are split on certain issues. One faction is helping G'Kar. I gather Morden is working for the other, but I am not sure exactly. Regardless, Morden wanted G'Kar helped, so we did so, taking time out of regular missions to supply him with whatever he needed.

'Then…. a month or so before the New Year, Mr. Morden contacted me. The leader they'd been expecting was ready to arise, and it was time to get you ready. I personally had you assigned the task which led to your uncovering the G'Kar File. Morden and I both wanted to see how much you would be able to work out for yourself. We were…. very pleased with your progress.

'Yesterday Morden himself arrived here, after quite a long absence, and I was told it was time. All today's events were orchestrated by Morden and myself, both to test you and to…. erase your past life. You have a new destiny now.'

Edgars fell silent, and for a long time Catherine could only stand and stare. 'I…. don't believe this,' she whispered. 'The last few years…. everything has been…. I didn't earn those promotions…. you killed Dan…. Julie…. you…. you…. All for some babble about a leader!'

Edgars smiled. 'I realise this must all be difficult to understand, but….'

'Difficult! You…. you…. Whatever this is, I won't do it. I'm…. not jumping through your hoops any more!'

'Ah. I too had doubts at first, but there is something else you should see.' Edgars stood up. 'You can come in now.'

Two figures began coming slowly into view. One was human, the man she had glimpsed briefly in Julie's apartment. That must be the…. Mr….. Morden Edgars had talked about. The other figure….

…. was definitely not human. Catherine had never seen one before, but that did not matter. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the alien next to Mr. Morden was a Vorlon.

* * *

And she saw….