Cmdr. Clifton / Be careful of women / no tags

[Steve Bruin]

 *** Starbase / Val's Room ***

   Clifton gave Val a hard look and demanded to know what was going on, he already knew she had planned to kiss him and render him unconscious via the drug laced lipstick, and now he knew Gavin was in trouble so he had to step things up.  For her part Val looked as innocent as a schoolgirl, swearing she did not know what he was talking about.  She stuck to her story that she just wanted a brief bit of romance while here on the station.

Clifton: Don't give me that bull!  I saw you put on lipstick and I'd bet good money it was to dose me with a knockout kiss.  Okay ... let's just see what else you were you planning after that? 

   Stepping away from her he grabbed up her purse and emptied the contents on to the floor.  Most of it were items anyone would expect a lady to carry in her purse, with one glaring exception and that was a medical hypo!  Clifton picked it up and glared at Val, still pondering if she were just an ordinary thief or something a lot worse.

Val:  Acting completely and totally innocent. :  Okay, you caught me.  I was gonna knock you out and see if I could access your station account, then get as many credits as I could. The only reason I'm doing this is because I'm trying to get back home and I don't have any way of securing a transport, I'm flat broke and believe me I was going to pay you back when I got on my feet.  Oh and the hypo, that's just my medicine that I have to take every day. That's all that is, believe me.

Clifton: Knock me out, huh?  The chemical in the lipstick would have done that, and why not just get your medicine from the sick bay?  Let's just see what kind of medicine is really in this hypo.

   He grabbed her by the collar and placed the hypo against her neck.

Clifton: Okay, let's just inject you and see if all it does is knock you out.

   The terror in Val's eyes told him the truth, whatever was in this hypo was deadly, she had been given a mission to kill him.  Most likely they had Gavin somewhere and this woman was someone's way of removing him from the equation.

Clifton: Lady, you'd better tell me what has happened to my friend or else I'll pump you full of this crap!

   The threat was a bluff, he had no intention of murdering her in cold blood but at the same time he was going to find out what had happened to Gavin, no matter what he had to do.  Val seemed to give up, she relaxed and spoke in the tone of a criminal looking for leniency from a judge.

Val:  All right, just ease off with that hypo and I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything I know. Someone offered me a lot of latinum to do this job, but I'm not about to die for ...

   In one graceful swoop she knocked his arm aside and planted a perfectly executed side kick into his mid-section, Clifton staggered back and went to grab her again, dropping the hypo from his hand.  She spun about with professional level speed and grace, landing a side kick against his left temple with considerable force.  One thing was for certain, this woman knew martial arts and was very adept at using them.

   Going into a fighting stance, Clifton readied himself for something he had never faced, combat with a female.

Clifton: Okay, you wanna act like a man, I'll treat you like one.  I'll treat you like a man ... even though you have a great body and I'd like to take you to ...  WHAM!  She landed a front kick against his chin before he could even finish speaking, sending him back a few steps.  By now Val had a cold, sadistic look on her face, like a predator moving in to kill prey, he suspected he was now seeing her true persona.

   Val stepped closer while maintaining a fighting posture.

Val: Don't let my being a woman bother you, I've killed more than my share of stupid men like you.

Clifton: Stupid?  Lady, I ain't never beat a woman in my life but you're pushing it.

   Clifton blocked another kick she threw and countered with a side kick of his own, Val was too fast.  She dodged the kick, grabbed his free arm and yanked him toward her.  WHAM!  She planted an elbow blow into his face and followed through with a hip toss that sent him hurling across the room and into the floor.  Intending to knock him cold with a boot to the head she reared back her leg as if you kick a field goal and let fly with her right leg.  Clifton saw her foot coming, grabbed it and got back to his feet holding her by the ankle securely.  Now unbalanced and standing on one leg Val could not read him with her arms, with her right leg firmly immobilized by Clifton's grasp, she took a leap into the air and planted a kick against his face.  Still grasping her ankle, Clifton used all his power to throw her by the leg into the nearest wall, hoping she would be dazed.

   Val grunted in pain as she hit the wall, before she could do anything he grabbed her by the blouse and tossed her again, this time over ending a nearby chair.  Much to Clifton's surprise beneath the chair was secured a rather large and sharp knife, placed there earlier by Val herself, for just such a situation.  Yanking the knife free, Val stepped toward him, slicing first one way and then the other to prove her proficiency.

Val: smiling : It always pays to have a plan B.

   Suddenly Clifton heard a voice through his communicator.

Colin=^= Colin MacLaren to Commander Clifton, what the hell is happening to my brother? =^=

Clifton: =^= Little busy right now, I'll call you back.  =^=

   Val moved slowly toward him, this woman was more than just a hired assassin, from the look in her eyes Clifton would say she was psychopath.  She swiped the knife once again, Clifton blocked her forearm and grabbed for the handle, if he could get that thing away from her maybe he could just knock her out.  With his hold firmly on the hand in which she held the knife, he hoped to be able to wrestle the knife away from her.  He took a swing with his free hand, his left and connected with the side of her face.  This woman was tougher than he thought because that punch barely fazed her, unfortunately for him she took advantage of the close proximity of their bodies.

   WHAM! She landed a powerful kick into his nether region!  He groaned from that particular pain than only males can feel.  WHAM!  WHAM!  She landed 2 more kicks, both strong  enough to end his romantic life for a while, and wrestled her arm free.  She  hit him again with a kick to the chest and sent him backward into the floor, her previous attack had taken a lot out of him and he feared the worse  In one move she seemed to leap like a gazelle and land atop his chest, pinning both of his arms with either of her legs.

   Flat on his back in the floor, with little hope of pushing her off him due to his pain and her positional advantage, he glanced to his left and saw the hypo device laying on the carpet.  It was still a few inches too far away, so stalling seemed like a good idea.

Clifton:  Tell you what Val, why don't we work something out.  Whatever their paying you, I'll double it ... just let me go.

   He knew there was no chance of her releasing him, but by now he was able to reach the hypo and he had it in his left hand.  Val took no notice, she seemed to intent of winning this personal battle, and adding yet another victim to her score.  Pushing the sharp blade against his carotid artery, her expression told him that she was going in for the kill.

Val: laughing : Yeah, we'll work something out.  You know, I've dealt with a lot of dumb, misogynistic, moronic men in my life ... but you have to be the most  benighted imbecile of them all.  Well ... at least I'll have the pleasure of watching you lay here and bleed to death while I pack, oh and don't worry they will find your body in a few days.

   Clifton shoved the hypo into her shoulder and pushed the button, he heard a hiss as the poison entered her body.  He only hoped she had not take the precaution earlier of giving herself the antidote.  Val looked surprised for a brief second and then collapsed, rolling off of him and dying within seconds.  Whatever toxin she had used, thought Clifton, she sure chose it well.  As he struggled to his feet he looked down at her lifeless body and said the only words that came to his mind.

Clifton:  It always pays to have a plan B

Cmdr. Clifton

XO

USS Odyssey

Val

deceased assassin

simmed by Steve