Cmdr. Clifton / Deals with Delia /

[Steve Bruin]

   *** Starbase - Security Section ***

Clifton: Delia, come in. This is Clifton.

Delia: Where are you? What are you doing to find the boss?

Clifton: I'm still on the base, we have all the Security people searching for Gavin.  Although to be honest, I'm not sure who we can trust and who we can't.

Delia: You are right about that. 

Clifton: Ok, can you tell me any more than the fact that Gavin is in trouble.  Did he say anything else that you know of?  Colin contacted me as well, did he give you any more information, anything at all?

 Delia,: suddenly suspicious. How is it he was alone and vulnerable anyway? What about your good buddy Rayder?

Clifton: I know you're worried, so am I, but I promise you that I'll do everything possible to find him.

Delia: so you said last time. 

Clifton: What about other telepaths here on the base?  Is there anyone here that you can trust, anyone who might be able to give us a clue ... any clue?

Delia: What do you mean other telepaths? Who told you the boss was a telepath? Why would you say that? To whom have you said that? Are you trying to get him killed? What is the matter with you?

   The frustration at not being able to find Gavin had been eating at Clifton ever since he learned of it, now Delia's recriminations were just making it worse.

Clifton: snapping irately : Will you just relax, don't get your panty girdle in an uproar. I didn't tell anyone anything about Gavin, what I meant was do you have any friends here on the base who may be telepaths.  If so, maybe they could help find him, and for the record I didn't even know he was a telepath.

Delia: You stay there. I will get back to you. :: Delia cut the communication shaking with fury. Was this Clifton a traitor or a moron?:: =/\= Delia to Dr. MacLaren.=/\=

Colin =/\= What is it, Delia? Have you anything new on Gavin? =/\=

Delia:=/\= Not yet, but I have my doubts about that Clifton. He may be in on it. He's busy asking me about other telepaths! Your brother has never shared that with me. I found out after I began to wonder. It took me...me...months of discreet research going back to sealed childhood medical records . I have never told him I know and I would cut out my own tongue before I ever told anyone else. Now this loud mouth "Security" chief just asks me if I heard from "other" telepaths! How many people has he told? Has he sold him out deliberately? I will see him dead if he has...

Colin=/\= Delia, calm down. Gavin and Clifton are good friends. He may have told him. Clifton was certainly careless to assume you knew, and that certainly puts Gavin in danger. We will talk to him about it, but right now...

Delia=/\= Talk to him! He can't be trusted...

Colin=/\= Delia, Gavin is in agonizing pain . He's no just abducted, he's being torture. Clifton  would never be a part of that. : pausing:: If you know about my brother, you know about me. We are twins, closely linked. Both my sister and I have felt what is happening.  It's... unbearable. He can't endure much more.  All I can tell is that he is not far away. We have swept the area, no suspicious ships. I don't know for sure, but my guess is he is on the base. There are two men and he's sensed a non human female. He's not able to think clearly, but he senses that these people are confident of not being discovered. 

Delia: quickly wiping away tears: =/\=What can we do? =/\=

Colin =/\= I'm beaming down. I will be wearing Gavin's ambassador clothes. I will be very visible while I try to sense where he is. My sister is also monitoring ships. Odyssey will disable any ship that might have him. Meanwhile, Clifton will be with me and we will have more than a dozen security officer shadowing us.=/\=

Delia: =/\=What if he is the traitor?=/\=

Colin: =/\= I canna believe that. He made a stupid mistake, but if I am wrong, he's a deid man walking.=/\=

 Delia =/\= Alright. When are you beaming down? Where?

Colin : =/\= Five minutes, right outside the Diplomatic Embassy but on the Promenade. Tell Clifton to greet me as if I was Gavin=/\=

Delia =/\= Clifton., Get to the Diplomatic Embassy right away. Dr. MacLaren will be there in a few minutes dressed in the boss's ambassador suit. He said to greet him as if he were the boss. 

Clifton: Copy that, but ...

Delia=/\= There's no time to argue. He...he's being tortured! Two men and a non human female close by. The ship is monitoring other vessels and is prepared to disable them. Colin thinks the boss is on the base though.=/\=

Clifton: I think he's here too, but it's a huge base with plenty of places to hide.

Delia=/\= Remember this Clifton, if you've let anyone else know about the boss's...skills, you might have caused this. Think about it, why him and not you? Why risk the crap storm abducting s high ranking diplomat will cause unless you're worried about what he's picked up?=/\=

Clifton: Like I said, I have told no one anything, I didn't even know it myself. Oh, and Delia it's not important or anything, but while Gavin was being abducted I was trying to keep a psychotic woman from killing me!  One more thing, if you're unhappy with my progress, you're more than welcome to beam over and conduct the search yourself.

Delia=/\= Don't trust anyone but the doc and the officers he brings=/\=

Clifton: Yeah, that goes without saying.  Clifton out.

Cmdr. Clifton

XO 

USS Odyssey

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