Babylon 5 s05e02 Episode Script

- Yes? - Delenn, my apologies for waking you.
But when I saw your message, I had to contact you - to see if there's a problem.
- What problem? We would never let someone of your stature go without assistance for long.
We're prepared to send along as many potential replacements as you like knowing that you've always been so wonderfully egalitarian.
We can fill the position with three assistants, one from each caste Ruell, what are you talking about? - I sent you no message.
- Oh, you didn't? No.
And what is this about a replacement? I'm sorry, I thought you knew.
The message is a request, you see, in your name for the replacement of your assistant, Lennier.
He has made arrangements to return home.
What? For how long? Well, I believe the request stated that his return would be permanent.
No! No, no, no! - This is completely unacceptable! - Londo, maybe we should Please! Do you know what this is? No, I can see you do not.
You have that vacant look in your eyes that says: "Hold my head to your ear, you'll hear the sea.
" This is Brivari, very old Brivari, very expensive Brivari.
Do you understand Brivari? It is a delicate drink, and the flavor is extremely fragile.
It must be kept at a constant temperature at all times.
If you were to impound it and stick it in a hot little room in a matter of hours, the flavor would bleed away and vanish like the synapses in your brain! - Londo, please.
I'm sorry, ambassador, but I have my orders.
You see, we've had a problem with infestation recently.
So on all incoming foods there's a minimum three-day impound.
Do you see, Vir? You give someone a little authority and a badge and he thinks he runs the universe.
Five years I have been on this station and never once has my shipment of Brivari been quarantined for health inspection.
This is an insult! Londo, please, let me try to handle this, okay? Please.
Mr.
Allan, may I, please? You are more than welcome to try, Vir.
Here, take my shoe.
It will be as useful to you as he is.
Mr.
Allan I hope you understand, but the ambassador has been under a great deal of strain lately.
And, you know, he is about to become the emperor, so I don't care if he's been declared high eminent favah of the lmperial Galaxy the Brivari stays here.
What the? Londo! Zack to Medlab.
We got an emergency in lmpound 31.
Get me a med team down here stat! And so it begins.
- There's a hole in your mind.
- What do you want? No one here is exactly what he appears.
Commander Sinclair is being reassigned.
Why don't you eliminate the entire Narn Homeworld? I see a great hand reaching out of the stars.
President Clark signed a decree declaring martial law.
These orders have forced us to declare independence.
Unless your people get off their butts and do something - You are The One who was.
- lf you go to Z'Ha'Dum, you will die.
Why are you here? Do you have anything worth living for? I think of my beautiful city in flames.
Giants in the playground.
Get out of our galaxy! We are here to place President Clark under arrest.
Londo? Be careful with him.
- Dr.
Franklin, they're here.
- Poison control team to Medlab.
I want him on the scanners.
I want a toxology report in two minutes.
Now, go! - Are you sure he was poisoned? - Yes.
I only left him for a moment.
He opened up a bottle of Brivari, took a few drinks and collapsed.
- The bottles were marked for him? - Yes! Watch the blood pressure, it's dropping now! - Where's the bottle? - Security took it.
- They're doing a chemical analysis on it.
- All right.
There's nothing you can do.
Let us handle it.
As soon as I find anything, I'll let you know.
Go! We're on it.
- Let's go, people.
- Toxology lab, stand by for analysis.
- Good morning, Delenn.
- Lennier.
You have a very busy schedule for the day.
A representative of Kepti has asked to speak with you about joining the Alliance.
He wants to get your permission before speaking with Sheridan.
- After that, you have four meetings - When were you going to tell me? - Tell you what? - That you are leaving.
Ruell called this morning about helping me find your replacement.
I did not think they would move so fast.
I was going to tell you tonight, Delenn, after dinner.
Why? Because bad news improves on a good meal.
- Valen said that - Lennier.
I know.
Because you don't I feel that you don't need me here anymore, Delenn.
That is not true, Lennier.
Yes, it is.
You have Sheridan now.
He is now your other half.
And l'm in the way.
I'm not comfortable here anymore, Delenn.
It's not your fault, and it's not his fault.
I can't explain it any more than that, but I know why.
So I think it would be best for both of us if I were elsewhere.
You swore yourself to my side.
And I will be there, Delenn, when you need me, or if you I've contacted the Rangers and asked to join them.
They said yes.
I'll leave for Minbar tomorrow.
The Rangers? Why? Lennier, you know that that is extremely dangerous.
With Marcus gone I felt the loss of a part of myself.
Perhaps I will find it again by replacing him in the Anla'shok.
And perhaps in time I will earn your respect.
You have always had my respect, Lennier.
Yes.
In most ways.
But I only wish to add a few more to become more of what you might want me to be.
More of what you might find My decision is made, Delenn.
I will return to help and to visit in between training cycles.
This is the calling of my heart, Delenn.
I have to follow it.
You, above all, should understand that.
- Vir.
- Mr.
Garibaldi.
I just came from Medlab.
They asked me to find you.
- How is he? - He's not good, Vir.
- He's in critical condition.
- I don't believe this.
What is it with this place? Last week someone tries to assassinate Sheridan now someone tries to poison Londo.
God! What is wrong with you people? Don't you have anything else better to do? Why don't you get a hobby? Read a book or something?! What? He wasn't poisoned.
- Wait a second, I saw him.
- I know what you saw but he wasn't poisoned.
What he drank had absolutely nothing to do with it.
He's had a heart attack, Vir.
A bad one.
What? Which heart? The left one.
The Centauri have a bi-pulmonary system: Two hearts, one on either side of the sternum.
Right heart provides the force behind blood circulation.
The left heart cleanses the blood.
Almost the same way our human kidney works.
Also gives the additional push to get the blood through to the smaller capillaries.
The right heart is one solid muscle.
I can fix that, no problem.
It's the left heart.
A system of very fine veins, thousands of them all in one large, knotted structure.
You can't get to the inner ones without cutting through the outer ones, am I right? That's correct.
Which only makes the problem worse.
So, what can you do? I've thinned his blood to help it move past the blockage.
It's not just a matter of junk in the way.
His arterial system has basically shut down from all the stress and anxiety and pressure he's been under.
The veins carrying blood through his left heart have contracted to half their normal size.
I've tried muscle relaxants.
I've sent nanosects in to cut from the inside, but nothing seems to work.
Have you notified Centauri Prime? They're sending an artificial heart system.
It may help, but it takes three days to get here.
At best, I can keep him going for the next 24 hours on life support.
So unless something happens on its own he's gonna be dead by the time it gets here.
- Any change? - No.
It is strange to see him like this.
He's always so alive, so full of energy even when he's being annoying.
You know, I don't think I've ever seen him for two minutes when he wasn't talking or yelling at someone.
It's a strange thing.
In the five years since I arrived, I have felt pity for him, anger he has made me laugh.
I have even liked him from time to time as much as I haven't wanted to.
I have never felt sorry for him until now.
I would miss him if he left us, John.
I know.
So would I.
Speaking of going away, I got your message about Lennier.
- Is there anything I can do? - Almost certainly not.
Is it because of me? In part, I think so.
Yeah, I was afraid of that.
Well, as we say back on Earth three is a crowd.
On Minbar, three is sacred.
Well, I don't think I'm ready to handle that one, Delenn.
Any chance you can talk him out of leaving? No.
He must follow the calling of his heart.
And if he's not? I mean, if he's just running away to avoid the situation here? The universe will teach him what he needs to know.
Yeah, I guess.
Well, it is getting late.
We need to get some sleep.
We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.
What about Londo? Stephen's done all he can.
If Londo makes it through the night, he has a chance.
If not I mean, medical science can only go so far.
After that, it's all up to the patient.
He has to fight this one out on his own.
Whether he makes it through the night or not depends on him.
Good luck, Mollari.
Good luck.
Good luck, Mollari.
Good luck.
Delenn? Have you seen Delenn? I thought I I thought that I had heard Have you seen Delenn? Is she here? Delenn? Have you? I thought that I had heard Delenn? Please, sit.
My future? Your past.
You're dying, Londo.
I know.
Do you want to live? What difference does it make? Perhaps Perhaps it's better this way.
I have dreamed my own death for 20 years now, you know.
Perhaps it's better if I die now.
If only to spite fate.
Do you want to live? What difference does it make? Is there anyone back home who truly cares if I live or die? Almost certainly not.
Do you want to live? I'm not allowed to ask again.
Yes.
Yes, I want to live.
That is not enough.
Can you see this card? No.
There's too much blood.
Yes.
You said wanting to live was not enough.
What more is there? - A word.
- What word? Why won't you tell me? If that is all I need, just a word, why won't you tell me? If you will not tell me, why am I here? What is this place? I don't understand.
Yes.
You do.
Delenn? - You couldn't sleep either.
- No.
I heard about your situation.
I heard about yours.
As Mr.
Garibaldi would say, it's been one hell of a day.
Yes, a hell of a day.
And a hell of a year.
A hell of a five years.
A hell of a life.
You win.
What kind of a drink is that? I'm not sure.
The bartender called it a Shirley Temple.
Interesting.
I've studied many Earth religions.
I don't think I've ever heard of that particular temple.
Me neither.
But it's real good.
Well, then I shall make it a point to visit it on my next trip to Earth.
You should sleep.
I won't be getting much sleep tonight.
What time do you leave in the morning? Early.
Well then I'll catch up with you on your next visit.
- Take care, Lennier.
- And you, Vir.
So tell me, Sheridan do you ever get used to it? - Used to what? - Being dead.
I wasn't dead very long, but Well, just long enough to know I didn't like it.
You know, I have been dead many times before.
- Yeah? - Dead to my first wife the only one I truly loved, a dancer.
My family said that I had married beneath my station.
And that if I did not divorce her, that I would be dead to them to the family title, position, money.
I remember the look in her eyes when I told her.
I died again that night.
All of the bottles here are empty? The metaphor's getting a bit thick, don't you think? I hear you once had a dream about your own death.
Yes.
And it's a strange thing because I always had this sense that you were going to be there.
That part never made sense though.
It is strange, isn't it that you and I both know that we are dying? Lorien gave you back your life, but you still have less than 20 years left.
We're all dying, Londo.
Twenty years, 50 years, 100 years, doesn't matter.
What matters is what we do while we're waiting around.
How we live out the seconds in between.
Well, I have not done very well in that regard, have I? No, you haven't.
People are not being very charitable around here.
There's a time for charity and a time for truth.
You're almost out of both.
Sheridan I I don't want to die.
Then turn around.
No.
Turn around.
I can't.
Don't you understand? I can't! Then you'll die.
Goodbye, Londo.
I'll see you soon.
Wait! No! Don't leave me here! No! - All right, talk to me.
What's happening? - His condition's deteriorating.
Blood pressure's dropping, heart rate's unstable.
All right, 50cc's of hydromorphozine.
- That could kill him.
- He is dead if we don't.
Now, let's go.
Come on.
Status? Heart rate's stabilizing for now.
His system is under tremendous strain.
He can't take much more of this.
I know.
I know.
Do you want to get some rest? I can call if his condition changes.
No, I couldn't sleep now anyway.
It'll be morning in a few hours.
Might as well stay here and see what happens.
A deathwatch? Maybe.
We'll just have to wait and see.
I don't want to die.
Please, Great Maker I don't want to die.
Not like this.
Please.
Not like this.
You're afraid.
Yes.
Then don't die.
Don't die.
I don't think I have any choice in the matter, Vir.
You do have a choice, Londo but you have to make it now.
There's not much time.
What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you is you.
Your heart can no longer bear the weight of your conscience.
- There's nothing wrong with my conscience.
- No? Then turn around.
Why should I? I saw my death in a dream.
I was an old man.
How do I know I won't survive this? Perhaps this will pass and I will get better.
The dream is prophecy.
Prophecy is a guess that comes true.
When it doesn't, it's a metaphor.
You could put a gun to your head and pull the trigger and then the dream is just a dream and the prophecy is just a metaphor.
And so are you.
You're out of time, Londo.
Turn around.
I can't.
I don't know what he wants from me.
Yes, you do.
The thing that has eaten away at your heart until it could not endure the pain a moment longer.
You must let go of this.
Or you will die here, alone, now.
Perhaps Perhaps that is for the best then.
No.
Not for the best.
Why not? Because I will miss you.
And I suppose that I would miss you.
I need a trauma team in Medlab 1, stat! He's going into shock.
This could be it.
Now, Mollari.
Now we end this.
You know this place, don't you? Yes.
You think this will be yours soon.
I don't want it.
Because of the dream that you will die here? Because you know you're not worthy of being called emperor? - Because you are afraid of failure? - It doesn't matter.
- Yes, it does.
- I don't want it! You don't deserve it! That's the truth.
That's what you don't want to face.
Look around, Mollari.
You look around! Do you remember? Mollari, I was just about to send for you.
Go ahead, gentlemen.
It's time to go.
- Go? Where? - To the Narn Homeworld, of course.
To the Narn Homeworld, of course.
You came with ships and guns and mass drivers.
You plucked asteroids out of near orbit and sent them plunging down onto our cities killing men, women and children.
Onto the sick, the infirm and the innocent! It was not my idea.
I didn't even know.
It was Refa.
It was not my fault.
- I said - You said nothing.
You said nothing! You said nothing! - Nothing.
- Leave me alone.
- No.
Look at me.
- I can't! Look at me.
Do you remember this place? Yes.
I was tortured in this place.
I was whipped.
Emperor Cartagia wanted to hear me scream.
Yes, and if you did not scream, the 40th stroke of the whip would kill you.
And your people would be slaves forever.
Yes.
You remember.
- Yes.
- You were there.
Yes! And you said nothing.
- Thirty-four, 35 thirty-six - Nothing.
Thirty-seven, 38 Nothing! Thirty-nine One word, Mollari.
One word was all that was required of you.
It would not have mattered.
It wouldn't have changed anything! - It would not have stopped! - You're wrong, Mollari.
Whether it was me or my world, whether it was a total stranger or your worst enemy, you were a witness! It doesn't matter if they'd stop! It doesn't matter if they'd listen! - You had an obligation to speak out! - I couldn't! And that's why you don't deserve to be emperor! And that's why you don't deserve to live.
No.
You're only moments away from the grave, Mollari.
There must be something I can do.
Only a word was required of you the first time we stood here.
And only a word is required now.
No.
No! One word.
I want to hear it.
He's having a seizure.
Get him secured! - His heart rate's going through the roof.
- We may have to defib.
One two, three four - He's in full cardiac arrest.
- All right.
Get ready to hit him.
Eight, nine ten, 11 - Charging.
- Stand by.
- Ready.
- Clear.
Fifteen sixteen, 17 eighteen! - Nothing.
Ready.
- Clear! Twenty-three, 24 twenty-five Come on.
Clear.
Thirty! Thirty-four, 35 thirty-six Clear! Thirty-eight thirty-nine! - All right.
I think we got him.
- Yeah.
For now.
You listen to me.
Don't you do this to me.
Don't die on me.
You hear me? Don't you die on me.
Come on! I don't want to die.
Then don't.
Who are you? Perhaps I am a delusion caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain.
Perhaps I am the piece of myself that telepathically joined with you once long ago and decided to stay.
Perhaps I am your conscience which can only get your attention by taking on a face other than your own and striking you down in the one place where you are still vulnerable.
Why? Why are you doing this to me? You want to believe you've changed.
You want to feel good about yourself.
You're not sorry for what you did! You're just sorry that you got caught! That you almost destroyed your Homeworld because of it.
- That's not true.
- Well, then prove it.
Just a word, Mollari.
That's all it takes.
I've never apologized for anything in my life.
Yes, so I see.
It's your life, Mollari.
Make of it what you will.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I am sorry.
I'm sorry! Condition stabilizing.
Getting normal operation of left heart.
Good, good.
That's it.
Looking good.
Looking good.
Sorry.
Sorry.
I'm sorry G'Kar.
I'm sorry.
They call this food? Even a Pak'ma'ra wouldn't eat this.
- Londo, the doctor said that you - I know what the doctor said.
It was my heart that betrayed me, not my ears.
You are going to have to change your diet and you have to cut back on the stress.
Yes, well, that doesn't seem very likely as long as I am still here, yes? And if I go home, there is even more stress.
So there you are.
No, Vir, the universe is an evil place but at least it seems to have a sense of humor about the whole thing.
Well, I suppose I should let you rest now.
Oh, Vir, before you go I was doing some reading, and I wondered if you had ever heard about this.
Apparently, according to some of our folktales if the spirit of a Centauri ends up in a body that is not worthy of its presence it can choose to separate to cause the death of the body so that it can then move on to a worthier host.
Right.
Right.
I remember that.
It's a very big struggle and the person involved is either permanently changed by the experience or he dies.
This is only supposed to happen when the higher spirit is a real, real high one.
I mean, we're talking major angelic here.
And the person that it's stuck inside is a complete monster.
I mean, just nasty and corrupt and disgusting.
It's Not that I was Because, obviously, you are You know, I really have to go.
To your question yes, I do remember that story.
I heard it ever since I was a child.
Interesting.
I didn't.
Not even a goodbye, Lennier? No.
Never goodbye.
I'm yours forever, Delenn.
Heart, body and soul.
I will see you again in a little while.
And with luck, I will perhaps be a better person.
That is not possible, Lennier but you're welcome to try.
Be well my good and dear friend.
And you.