Babylon 5: The River of Souls Page #4

He can tie this thing up

for months, Zack.

Yeah, and by that time

his lease will have already expired.

Exactly.

So you're telling me...

...that we should just drop this thing

and let it go.

Oh, come on. We have faced Shadows

and invasions and attacks on this station...

...and now we're gonna give in to lawyers?

No, no. I'm just saying

that we may need to find...

...a more discreet way

of dealing with it, that's all.

Have Maintenance go down

and check out their equipment.

I don't want anyone hurt

while we're fighting this.

Why do we have to be discreet?

He's not.

Not only is he trying this lawyer bit...

...but last night he used one of those

holograms to try to spook me out.

How so?

I was down in Blue 6.

I saw this...

I don't know. An apparition.

It was a woman up on the stairs, crying.

And then she jumps out at me

and disappears.

I figured it had to be

a hologram of some kind.

Not possible. The amount of energy

and equipment necessary...

...to generate a three-dimensional image

like that isn't portable.

He can only do it inside

a very small area.

Then how the...?

- Captain, you got a minute?

- Just. What's up?

I wanted to let you know

that I was done here.

Be heading back to Mars

on the first available transport.

Well, that's...

- Yes?

- Captain, we've got something unusual...

...coming through the jumpgate.

- Put it through. Let me see.

They're here.

- Oh, hell.

- You know what that is?

Yeah, I saw a couple

of those ships years ago.

That's a Soul Hunter.

The story is they travel all over the place,

capturing the souls...

...of important people right

at the moment of death.

I thought they were just legends.

No. They're real, all right.

Check the records.

So, what's it doing here?

I don't know.

All I know is, the only time they show up

is when someone's about to die.

I just have a dry spot in my throat

from the air conditioning.

I feel fine.

Stop looking at me like that.

I think we should go see

what he wants.

Since you've had some experience

with these people...

...I'd appreciate it if you could come along.

- Consider it done.

- You know, you are looking kind of pale.

- Don't start with me.

That's far enough.

I mean it.

State your business here.

Who are you here for?

Not you.

None of you.

Not today.

Something was stolen from us.

Taken from us.

Taken here.

How do you know whatever

you lost was brought here?

The one who stole from us,

the one who brought it here...

...had others with him. They told us.

How do you know they

were telling the truth?

How do we know?

We know.

They say the name

of the one who stole from us...

...the name of the one

who brought it here...

...is Bryson.

Why is it you?

Why is it always you?

What did he take?

More than you can possibly imagine.

For we are drawn to death...

...to the moment of passage,

for the purpose of defeating death.

We capture those rare souls.

The poets and philosophers, the artists,

the leaders. We collect them all.

And what was taken from us,

what is ours...

...were among the rarest of the rare.

Thousands of years ago,

Ralga was a distant world...

...whose name had been forgotten by all

but our order.

They were an advanced people

who chose not to leave their planet...

...and go beyond the stars.

An exquisite race of poets and dreamers

and philosophers and leaders.

A race wise beyond

their time and soon...

...to die before their time.

We knew it. We felt it.

We are drawn by the smell of death.

The passing of the physical form

is like a beacon to us.

And we came at once, because we could

feel the passing of a billion minds.

We did not know the cause.

If it was a disease or the result of war

or some planetary disaster...

...it did not matter.

All that matters is that it happens.

And we decided that

we would save them all.

An entire world of souls

claimed at the instant of death.

Magnificent achievement.

Only three times in our history

have we done such a thing.

Then it was decided to place

the Ralga vessel of souls...

...in one of our Whisper Galleries...

...where they would never be alone.

Where they might talk to each other,

there in the great gallery.

We were certain...

...that no one else was aware

of the location.

Alas, we were wrong.

So you're saying this vessel

contains a billion souls?

Now, look. Look, I've already

been through this once.

I don't believe in souls.

So this thing of yours recorded

the thoughts of a billion people...

...hey, that's fine. I'm with you.

It's a big job, but it's possible.

We've been able to map brain patterns,

program memories...

...and even record thought, but don't

start with me about this soul business.

It doesn't matter what you believe.

Whatever it is, whatever's inside,

was stolen from these people...

...and it should be returned.

- Why?

Look, let's assume

you're telling the truth.

- Wisdom.

- Who says these guys get custody...

...of somebody's soul?

Were these people ever consulted?

Would they have chosen

to stay locked up like that forever?

- The alternative is death.

- Or heaven.

Okay, so I believe in heaven.

You got a problem with that?

No heaven. Nothing beyond.

Only the dark,

impenetrable wall of death.

- Yes?

- We've checked Dr. Bryson's quarters.

He's gone.

It looks like he packed up fast.

- Great.

- He knows we're here.

- They've told him we're here.

- These souls...

...they can speak to you?

The longer you are in their company,

the more you can hear their voices.

That vessel must be returned to us.

Only we can attend to it safely.

What do you mean, "safely"?

There is strength enough in one mind,

one soul, to change the universe.

Can you imagine how much strength

there would be in 1 billion souls...

...all focused on escape?

- Or worse.

If these minds, souls, whatever...

They've been imprisoned for 1000 years,

what if they're beyond caring about escape?

What if all they care about now is revenge?

What could they do?

It would depend.

They would have to find someone

they could influence and direct.

Someone with the knowledge

and the resources to do physically...

...what they cannot do.

- What could they do?

In time, almost anything.

Yes. I understand.

I won't let them take you...

...no matter what.

Better to destroy the station...

...embrace the darkness...

...than go back there.

Yes.

I understand.

I understand.

All we know for sure is that Dr. Bryson

has gone underground...

...taking the stolen object with him.

This is a big place, but if he's still here,

and our visitor seems confident that he is...

...then we can and will find him.

I want an organized search of every level,

starting with the empty quarters.

Check every air duct, crawlspace

and sub-level we've got.

Now, we don't know if he's armed,

but he should still be considered dangerous.

I want reports on anything strange

that happens here tonight...

...no matter how irrelevant it may seem.

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