CHAPTER 11
0400 found Dr. Franklin returning to Ms. Winters' quarters. Lou Welch was still on guard duty. He paced back and forth in the hallway glaring at anyone who came around either corner. He relaxed once he recognized the Doctor.
"How are things, Lou?" Stephan asked causally.
"Everything's quiet so far," Lou replied grimly. Because the Commander had been taken while he had been duty shift leader, he felt like he failed her, and indirectly failed the chief as well. He quietly swore to himself that he would not fail the Commander again. Ms. Winters would be safe… no matter the cost.
Stephan could tell that just like everyone else, Lou had taken Susan's disappearance hard. Nodding at the closed door, he asked, "Have you seen her since I was last here?"
"Yeah," he replied, "Once… about two hours ago. She wanted to know if I had any new information about the Commander."
When he didn't continue, Stephan prompted, "And do you?" He had left a message with Zack Allen for Garibaldi after he had seen Ms. Winters, but so far no response. Stephan was sure Garibaldi and the entire security staff were tearing the station, and anyone that got in their way apart in search of the Commander.
Lou stared at the ground and shook his head. "But, I am sure the chief will find her," he added staunchly.
Stephan acknowledged his information with a nod. "Well, I had better see how she is doing," Stephan replied then paused at the door, and looked back over his shoulder at the security guard. "Lou, I have a question. Do you know what the relationship is between Ms. Winters, and the Commander?"
Having been regularly assigned to the Commander's watch detail, he had observed the two ladies together. It was the first time he had ever seen either of them truly relaxed and maybe even a little happy. He had always liked both of them, and what they chose to do on their downtime was none of his business, or anyone else's for that matter. He looked up and could tell the Doc was waiting for an answer. Finally, he said, "They seem to be working out their differences and might even becoming friends, I think."
Stephan smiled to himself at the answer. Just like Lou… he was not going to tell him anything. Turning back to the door, he decided to use his medical security clearance instead of chiming the door lock. As the door swung open, Stephan founded the rooms were darken, and he was hopeful the telepath was asleep. The only illumination in the rooms was a lone candle that flickered on the coffee table. After the door closed behind him, Stephan paused to let his eyes adjust to the darkness before moving forward.
Halfway to the bedroom, a sarcastic voice stopped him in his tracks. "I see you have added breaking and entering to your repertoire?"
'Damn, I thought I gave her enough sedative to knock her out for at least eight hours,' Stephan thought. He turned and scanned into the dark for the owner of the voice. At last, he saw a shadowy figure curled up on the couch wrapped in appeared to be a blanket. On closer inspection, he found she staring into the flickering flame.
"Lights… ten percent," Talia called aloud. Without, looking up, she explained, "Can't have you falling over things in the dark, Doctor. 'They' might think I tried to kill the messenger." She bitterly laughed.
In the glow of candle, and the dimmed room lighting, Stephan took in her appearance. She appeared to be even more haggard than just a few hours earlier. The dark circles under her eyes that had begun to form earlier now appeared to have become dark bruises. Her eyes were swollen and cheeks still dampen by recently shed tears. She appeared to be in even more physical pain that was reflected around her eyes, and wrinkled her forehead that had not been there before.
"Before you ask, the answer is the same… I am fine," she tried to maintain her sarcastic tone, but she was too tired to maintain it. She was just too tired.
Her fatigue didn't go unnoticed by the good Doctor. "Did the medicine help you to rest at all?" Stephan inquired.
At first, Talia seriously considered lying to him, but somehow she thought he would see through it. Sighing, she lifted her head from her knees, but found her head felt too big, and too heavy to keep it upright. So, she leaned her head against the back of the couch. For the first time since he had entered the room, she returned his gaze. "No, I haven't." Hopefully, she asked, "Any news about…Commander Ivanova?" Her voice ended in a whisper.
Stephan saw the flash of hope in her eyes, and he hated to be the one to extinguish it, but she deserved a truth. "Nothing yet, but it is still early in the search…" He tried to sound reassuring. Even so, he watched as the pain returned to her eyes in full force before she could look away.
Dejectedly, Talia spoke, "I can't get her out of my mind…" she drew a ragged breath before she continued. "I'm so afraid that whoever has her is torturing her." Tears began to once again dampen her cheeks. She rested her head on her legs drawn up to her chest allowed the tears to flow unimpeded.
Stephan had to strain to hear her whispered words as she continued to speak.
"… I have been trying to open myself to the station to see if I can find her, but all I have gotten for my troubles is a wicked headache." She massaged her temples. The headache had worsened to a migraine when she had made a second attempt just moments before the Doctor entered her quarters unannounced.
Stephan pulled a med-scanner from his medical kit, and took several readings. He did pick up the stress she had put on her brain function, but it appeared to be decreasing slowly back to baseline as he continued the exam. His professional mode kicked into high gear. It was the one thing he could do. Stephan made a plan of care in his head. He would draw a blood sample for levels the scanner was unable to detect- specifically, Seratonin, endorphins-T, and ATRH. A normal level of each was essential for a telepath to maintain mental harmony and thus maintain complete control of his or her 'talent'. Under tremendous physical or mental stress, these levels had a tendency to rapidly drop. In Stephan's medical opinion, this was one stressed telepath.
From his days of medical training on mental physiology, Stephan recalled that it was very unwise- and in some cases physically dangerous- for a telepath to attempt to use his or her 'talent' beyond the realm of their training. From Talia's records, Stephan knew there was no documentation that she had been trained in search and rescue. In many well-documented cases, he had read about telepaths that have attempted what Talia had attempted and the attempt had resulted in permanent damage that was beyond medicine's ability to heal.
Wearily, he sank down on the couch… near enough for her to sense his presence but far enough that he didn't completely violate her personal space by touching her. She returned to staring at the candle and seemed to ignore him. He knew he had to get through to her, and convince her to stop. He decided to wait for her to make the next move, and acknowledge him still being in the room with her. He was resolved to wait for her acknowledgement even if it took all night… if he had to.
After several minutes of silence, Talia sensed the good doctor's resolve of not leaving her alone until she talked- really talked- to him. Inwardly, she loved him for it, but outwardly she sighed, and raised her gaze to scowl at him. He evenly stared back at her, but didn't speak. "What?" she asked defiantly.
"Ms. Winters… " He paused and cleared his throat. "Talia, Susan is my friend, too. If she was to walk thru that door and saw you the way I see you now, she would kick my ass all over this station." He saw a slight smile briefly tug at the corners of her lips. "Seriously though, if you continue to go down this path you are choosing to go down, you're going to make yourself sick, and will be taking up residence in one of my bio-beds if you're lucky. If you're unlucky, you'll fry your brain and you will never be 'you' again." He paused to let his words sink in. "From your records, I know that you are not trained in search and rescue…" She looked at him questioning, "Remember when Commander Sinclair went missing and you weren't able to help…"
Talia had not remembered that situation until the good doctor mentioned it, but
she hadn't even tried then. This time
her heart was involved, and made this a totally different situation.
Stephan continued as he saw she followed his words. "Yes, I remember that episode. Has something changed since then?"
After a pause, Talia shook her head.
"Then, you need to stop it, and I mean stop it… Now," He stressed. He noted the stubborn set to her jaw, and knew he wasn't getting through to her at all. He decided it was time to try a different tack once again. Speaking softly, "Susan wouldn't want you to hurt yourself let alone you risk doing permanent damage by trying to find her. She would blame herself if anything was to happen to you and Damnit, you know it, Talia!"
Talia looked once again at the candle and its flicking flame. She tried to clear her mind, and reach a tranquil state… but she just couldn't reach it. She knew in her head that he was right, but her heart was having a hard time accepting it… because she knew if she let her heart listen to her head, she was afraid she would drown in the helplessness that she was barely keeping at bay. 'Susan, my love, where are you?'' she mentally sobbed with all of her strength. When she received no response, Talia turned her teary gaze towards Stephan. She sensed his concern and sympathy. She knew what he had said was the truth… Susan would be very upset with her if she continued to run the risk of hurting herself. "Dr. Franklin, I just feel so… helpless just sitting here and waiting."
Stephan understood her agonizing helplessness. "Talia, I am sure that as soon as Mr. Garibaldi has a suspect, he will want your help. And he will need you to be in full control of your mental capabilities to do the job you are trained to do."
She nodded her agreement. Sighing, she wiped at the tears on her cheeks once again. Slowly, she got her emotions under a slightly better control. "Thank for caring, Dr. Franklin. I will stop reaching out to her… for now. It's the best I can promise."
"I can live with that," he said. Stephan stood and retrieved a blood sampling equipment from his med-kit. He reached for her nearest arm. Talia recognized the equipment and conceded to his unspoken request. "Since you won't come to the Med-lab…" He looked at her hopefully.
She emphatically shook her head.
He sighed. "No one wants to come visit me in my lab… Oh well… I need to draw blood samples to check your levels, and make sure you don't need some supplements." Releasing her arm once he had his samples, he stored the samples, and the equipment. Purposefully, he strode into the kitchenette and opened the refrigerator. He made both of them a sandwich from the cheese and cold cuts he found. Finding some chilled juice, he poured two glasses. Gathering the simple meal, he returned to where she had remained unmoving. He sat a sandwich and a glass of juice on the table easily within her reach. He took his food and sat in the chair opposite of her.
Talia looked first at the food and then at Stephan. Her right eyebrow arched questioningly.
"Talia, you need to eat something. If you remember, eating something was one of the contingencies to your staying out of my Med-lab." He raised his hand to cut off her protest then continued. "Since I know you haven't done so…" He stared at her intently and watched as a slight pink hue developed on both of her cheeks. He continued, "And since I don't like to eat alone, I am assuming you don't either. Do, I am joining you." He took a bite of his sandwich. "Good if I say so myself."
Talia studied him as he continued with his meal. "Dr. Franklin…"
"Talia, I would prefer you call me Stephan. I don't like my dinner companions to call me by my title, nor do I like to call them by theirs. So, it's Talia, and Stephan… please."
"Okay, Stephan…" she emphasized his name. Pointing at the food, she said, "…This is very kind… Even above and beyond the call of duty. But my stomach is in knots, and honestly, I don't know if I can keep it down," she admitted.
No response from Stephan… he just kept eating.
At last, she gave in, picked up have of the sandwich, and took a small bite. She looked and found the Stephan gaze on her for a moment then returned to eating his food. She continued to take small bites and sips of the juice until she had completed half of the sandwich and all of the juice. She pushed the other half of the sandwich away. "Stephan," she said as he looked up at her. "I'm sorry but I'm full." What was in her stomach began to make her feel a little queasy, but not bad enough to vomit… at least not yet.
Inwardly, Stephan was very pleased. She had actually eaten more than he expected. Outwardly, he maintained his professional air. "Well, if that is all you can eat…" He gathered the remains off their meal, and returned to the kitchenette. He rinsed the dishes, wrapped the leftovers, and placed it in the refrigerator. "I've put the other half in the fridge… for later." He told her upon his return to the living room.
She didn't miss the hint that he expected her to finish it. Wirily, she grinned.
He pulled a hypo-spray and medications from the med-kit. Stepping to the Talia's side, he motioned for her to turn her head to the side and expose her neck.
She decided that fighting Stephan wasn't worth the energy. She obediently complied.
As the medications hissed into her system, Stephan explained, "This is for your headache, and something more to help you sleep. You have been- and to a lesser extent are still- in a state of shock. Your body, and mind need you to rest so both can recover from it."
Reaching into the kit, he returned the hypo-spray, and retrieved the med-scanner once again. He noted that her blood pressure, heart rate, and brain patterns were now back to baseline. "How's the headache now?"
She paused for a moment, and realized it was gone. "No more headache," she said with a faint smile. "Thank you, Stephan."
He smiled with her. "The sedative's effect should follow soon." Reaching out, he grasped both of her hands and gently tugged her to her feet.
Once she was on her feet, Talia realized she was a little woozy, and held tightly onto Stephan's hands until the room stopped moving. She yawned in spite of herself. "Excuse me," she said as she covered her mouth.
Gently, he shoved her towards her bedroom. "I would guess you have only a few more minutes until you are going to be out. Go get changed, and get into bed. I'll wait here to make sure you get to bed safely."
She motioned for him to turn around. A grin lit his face before he gracious did, but made no move to leave.
Yawning again, she surrendered and went to her bedroom closet. After retrieving her pajamas, she went to the ensuit and changed for bed. A few moments later, she emerged and crawled between the cool, silk sheets. "Stephan, your duties are completed. I've made it safely to bed. You are dismissed." The humor of her tone took the sting out of her words. "Thanks, Stephan," she added sleepily.
Stephan's smile deepened even more. 'She sounds so sexy when she is sleepy,' he thought to himself. Realizing he hadn't answered, "You're welcome, Talia. Goodnight, and sleep well. I'll see you later this morning," he added.
After a few moments, "'Kay…" came from the bedroom.
Taking his med-kit, Stephan left Talia's quarters. He just hoped she had a restful sleep.
Garibaldi found Zack in the security office overseeing the bank of vid-monitors. All showed that the holding cells were filled with various underlings, and nefarious undesirables on the station. Each one was being questioned about Commander Ivanova's disappearance."
Nodding at the vid-monitors, "Any luck?" Michael asked.
A look of disgust crossed Zack's face. "Not so far, Chief!"
Looking grim as well, Garibaldi observed several of the interrogations. But no matter how hard the officers pushed, no one seemed to get any leads. Turning away, he remembered that Zack had wanted to speak to him earlier. "Did you need something earlier? Gibbs said you wanted to talk to me."
Zack handed him a note, as he said, "Dr. Franklin called a couple hours ago. He didn't say what he wanted. Just asked for you to call when you got a chance."
"Okay…Thanks, Zack." Garibaldi crossed the room, and opened the door with his Ident-card. Before he could activate BabCom unit to return Stephan's call, his com-link beeped. He cursed under his breath before he clicked his com-link open. "Garibaldi, go."
"Chief, I think I may have a lead," Shane O'Dell's voice was heard over the link. "I'm in Brown Sector 13. It's something you will want to see."
"I'm in my office. You can speak freely. What have you found?"
"An abandoned, covered delivery cart. Like the ones used all over the station."
"Why is it so important for me to see a nondescript, delivery cart," Michael impatiently demanded. He had already left his office and called for a transport tube.
"On the under shelf we found fibers caught on a rough edge. They are consistent with Babylon 5 uniform material, several long brown hairs, and a small amount of blood was on the edge as well. Underneath the cart, a Commander's rank insignia was found."
Now, Michael was more than interested. It just might be the break they had been looking for. "O' Dell make sure no one and I mean no one touches anything until I get there. I'll be there in 3 minutes. Garibaldi out," and he closed the com-link.
Michael reactivated his com-link, and called, "Dr. Franklin."
"Franklin here," was the quick response.
"Doc, one of the security teams have found an abandoned, delivery cart in Brown Sector. I'm sending you a sample of blood, and several brown hairs that I need you to cross check with the Commander's ASAP."
"No problem. I pulled all of the Commander's relevant medical data as soon as you notified me that she was missing." He paused before asking, "Is there a lot of blood, Michael." He was concerned for a fellow officer, but more so for good friend was evident in his voice.
"O' Dell said a small amount. I'm on my way there to find out all the particulars."
"I'll be waiting," Stephan paused and when he could tell Michael hadn't closed his com-link, he decided to plunge on, "By the way, I took care of the other 'situation', and I think I have got her to sleep."
Again dead air for a few moments before Stephan heard, "Is she all right?" Michael's concern was evident.
"Physically, she's fine, but I am concerned for her emotional well-being. She is a little… rough." Stephan realized their conversation was over an open com-link. "I'm running a few tests to be on the safe side, but I believe the tests will be okay."
The transport tube arrived at its destination- Brown Sector. Michael stepped off and noticed the crowd that had gathered just a short distance away. "Listen, Doc, I've got to go, but I'll get you that blood sample soon…" he paused before continuing, "About the other…"
Stephan interrupted, "I'll keep a close eye on the other 'situation'. You concentrate on finding Susan."
"Got you, Doc. Thanks. Garibaldi out," and he clicked his com-link closed. He pushed his way through the crowd to the crime scene. O'Dell motioned him closer. The cart had been shoved into a small closet-like area that had just enough room for the cart and a person to barely walk around. Squatting down by the opened doorway, he took a closer look at the evidence before motioning the evidence team in to do their thing. He pulled O'Dell aside, "Anything else to report?"
"As usual, no one saw nothing," O'Dell said with a snort.
Once the evidence team was done, Michael walked around the cart several times, and looked around the area the cart had been abandoned. "I don't know if our kidnapper is too stupid to totally get rid of the cart, or too arrogant for his or her own good and is taunting us," Michael murmured more to himself than O'Dell. Casually, he scanned the crowd that still remained, but no suspicious face stuck out of the crowd.
He moved closer to O'Dell's side and whispered low enough that Shane was the only one to hear him, "Laugh like I told you a joke when I finish." O'Dell slightly nodded as Garibaldi continued, "…casually as possible, vid-scan the faces in the crowd, scan the cart from every angle, and the area surrounding it. Once done, make a coy of all of the data, and get it to Brother Theo. He'll know what to do."
O'Dell laughed as he walked away to carry out Garibaldi's orders.
Once he was alone in the transport tube, Garibaldi opened his com-link and called, "Captain Sheridan."
Within a moment the response was, "Sheridan here."
"Captain, it's Garibaldi. Can I talk?" Michael asked.
"Yes, I'm alone in my office." John replied.
"I believe we had found how he or she transported the Commander unseen. They used a covered delivery cart. The type that was used is the type found all over the station. It had no identifying logos, nor an identification number… The identification numbers appears to have been chemically erased."
"How do you know this particular cart was used?" John asked.
"We found fibers that look consistent with a Babylon 5 standard issue uniform, some long, brown hairs, a small amount of blood on a rough edge on the cart, and a Commander's insignia bar with 'To SI from JS Congrats' engraved on it."
There was a pause before the Captain answered. "I bought her the insignia pair, and gave them to her the day her promotion came through," John said as he sank bloodless into his chair. "How much blood?"
"Not much, but enough for the Doc to run DNA matching."
There was a longer pause before John spoke again, "Michael, it's been twenty-three hours at least…"
"…And twenty-two minutes," Michael interjected.
"And twenty-two minutes," a grin could be heard in the Captain's voice as he tried to mimic Michael, "since she went missing, and we are essentially no closer to finding her than we were when Ms. Winters contacted you. Damnit, Michael, we are nowhere!" His anger boiled once again. A loud thud was heard over the com-link. "Do whatever you need to do, and I mean whatever you need to do! Just find her… Michael, if she has been harmed, hell will seem like a picnic by the time I'm through with them," John growled into the com-link before he severed the connection.
He didn't hear Garibaldi's added, "Only if you get to them first."
For several moments, John stared over his steepled fingers at his cluttered desk. He heard someone clear their throat. He looked up to find Ambassador Delenn- the Ambassador from Minbar- standing in the doorway to his office patiently waiting for him to acknowledge her presence.
He knew he must look a wreck. The longer the night had gone with no clue as to where Susan had been taken the more buttons he had undone on his uniform jacket until he finally took it off, and then the shirt collar button, and the cuffs were undone as well. He couldn't remember the last time his had shaved, but could feel the stiff prickly hairs along his jawline as he rubbed his face, and ran his hand through his hair trying to smooth it down. It seemed he always looked his worse when Delenn came to see him.
Pulling on his jacket, John plastered a smile on his face. As he motioned for her to enter and have a seat, he said, "Ambassador Delenn. What a pleasant surprise."
Delenn bowed her head slightly before she sat down.
"Did we have an early meeting scheduled," he glanced at the chrono-display and saw it was 0500, "…that I have forgotten about?"
The Ambassador shook her head.
Looking at her questioningly, he asked, "Is there something I can do for you?"
"Actually, Captain Sheridan, I came to see what I, as a representative of the Minbar people, can do for you?"
John was a little taken aback by her offer. Then his anger flared. He couldn't believe someone would have leaked the news of the Commander's disappearance so soon. He had hoped to keep it under wraps for a longer period of time. So, the kidnapper or kidnappers would still think their activities hadn't been detected as of yet.
As if reading his mind, Delenn spoke, "Captain Sheridan, like the people of Earth, the Minbari have eyes and ears everywhere including Brown Sector, and DownBelow. It pays to have contacts in… how do you human's say it… 'in low places'. We know that Babylon 5 security officers are gathering people who have 'questionable dealings' here on the station for questioning. It tells me that something or someone important has disappeared." When she was done speaking, she said back in her chair and waited for him to explain.
John debated on what to do. As of yet, he hadn't reported Susan "officially" missing. He looked at the Ambassador for several minutes as he tried to decide if she could possibly be of help, or should he sidestep her question as best as possible. At last, he decided on the truth, and to seek her help. "As of 1900 hours yesterday evening, it was discovered that Commander Ivanova was missing. The last time she was seen was 0830 when she left O'Malley's after having breakfast." He watched to gauge her reaction. He saw the same concern he was feeling reflected in her eyes, and she paled slightly. Just as quickly, the concern was replaced with the damn Minbari peace.
Delenn stood and walked to the BabCom unit. Just as she was about to activate it, she seemed to remember where she was, and looked over her shoulder at the Captain. Belatedly, she asked, "Captain Sheridan, do you mind?"
"No… No, Ambassador," he replied. "I can… Susan can use all the help she can get right now."
After tapping a few keys, Lennier's face appeared. They spoke for several minutes in Minbari before Lennier bowed, and signed off.
"Captain Sheridan, I have given Lennier orders to join in the search as well as contacting several of our 'associates' to help as well. They are as always discreet, but effective."
He moved to the front of his desk to lean while Delenn talked to Lennier. "Thank you, Ambassador," John absently replied. He was too antsy to sit still, and he begun to pace from the chair where Delenn's had sat to the far wall of his office, and back again.
She settled back into her chair. "Are you sure she is still on the station?" She inquired.
John continued to pace without answering her question. The next time he was close, Delenn reached out and grasped his arm. He stopped mid-stride, looked first at the hand on his arm, and followed it up her arm to her face. It was only then that he realized that Delenn was still in his office. A look of chagrin crossed his face. "Sorry, Ambassador. I go lost in thought for a moment." He leaned once again against his desk, and focused on her. "What was your question?"
"I understand. You are concerned about your… friend. I asked if you thought the Commander was still on the station?"
"Michael seems to think so. I ordered a stoppage of all ships that were scheduled to leave port until they and their loaded cargo has been thoroughly searched. All scheduled to leave cargo is now being searched. There have only been ten ships to leave in the last twenty-four hours that we didn't get to check. We caught a break in the fact that several of them are going to the same first port of call. Michael has called in several favors, and has managed to get someone to 'unofficially' check out the ships and unloaded cargo."
"Ask Mr. Garibaldi to send a list of the ships, and the various ports of call to Lennier. Let us see if we can help his associates as well," Delenn requested.
"Thank you, Ambassador, for you offer of assistance. I know Commander Ivanova will appreciate it as well… as soon as she is found," his voice reflected his concern for Susan. He paused again for a moment as he tried to decide if he could ask another favor. "I do have personal favor to ask of you, Ambassador Delenn. I would understand if you decline," he added.
Delenn was intrigued now. It was unlike the Captain to ask for a personal favor, "Ask and I will do my best to fulfill the request."
"Do you know Ms. Winters very well?" John asked.
"I have employed her services a few times. And of course, I got to know both her and the Commander when the young, rogue telepath, Alisa Beldon, sought asylum with Minbar," she answered.
"She was the one to discover that Commander Ivanova was missing," he paused again. His discomfort was now evident. "It seems in the last few weeks they have put aside their differences, and have become friends. Anyway, she is not taking the Commander's disappearance very well. Dr. Franklin has had to heavily sedate her. He reported that she has pushed her telepathic abilities in areas that she has not been trained. I need her functional for later interrogations of suspects," John paused as he tried to find the right words. "Over the years, I have learned that most telepath's have few friends, and Ms. Winters is no exception." He ran his hand through his hair before continuing, "I said all of that to ask if you would stop by later and check on her?"
Delenn looked at him sympathetically before answering him. "I am very fond of both the Commander Ivanova, and Ms. Winters. They have both been helpful since my transformation. I'm willing to do anything I can to help either of them.
John looked relieved. "Thank you, Ambassador. That will be a great help."
Delenn stood, bowed, and turned to leave. At the doorway, she turned back and said, "Captain maintain hope. Mr. Garibaldi is very good at his job, and Commander Ivanova is a fighter. Now you have added the Minbari people… As I have heard your people say… 'they don't stand a chance'."
'Damn, they found the cart where I planted it already,' the kidnapper grumbled. 'Garibaldi is better than I thought or he is just lucky,' he added. 'I'd hoped to be off this tin can before Garibaldi found out that the Commander was even missing… Let alone that he found the cart… Damn!!!''
He took another sip of his drink, and grimace at the bite. He was seated at a table in the sleazy no name bar across from the gathered crowd. He had been enjoying his favorite drink- Earth whiskey- before the sideshow began. Gulping the last of it from the glass, he stood, dropped a few chits on the table and slowly walked away avoiding the crowd as much as possible. Suddenly, he was shoved from behind and ended up bumping into one of the security guards. "Sorry," he mumbled, as he regained his balance.
As he quickly distanced himself from the area, he pulled the old-fashioned pocket watch out, and saw that the boss was due to arrive within the hour. Soon… very soon… he would be able to get off this station.
Garibaldi rang the door lock for the fourth time. He checked his watch and saw that it was 0558. He was outside of the quarters of Mr. Tudor. Finally, he heard a voice call out, "Who the hell is it? Be warned, I am armed."
"Mr. Tudor, it is Mr. Garibaldi… I need to speak to you about a matter of grave importance," Michael called. He stepped in front of the door's secure-cam that Mr. Tudor had installed above the door.
A few moments later, the door slid open revealing a very disheveled Damon Tudor-the seventy-year-old owner of Daily Moments. He turned and walked away from the door. Michael followed him into the kitchen. Tudor walked to the refrigerator and retrieved a bottle of vodka. From a nearby cabinet, he retrieved two shot glasses, and walked back to the bar where Michael stood. He poured two shots of vodka handing one to Michael. Saluting each other with the alcohol, both men drank.
Grimacing before wiping his mouth, Damon asked, "Mr. Garibaldi, what is so urgent that you had to wake an old man, and drag him from his warm bed?"
The vodka burned a path all the way to Michael's stomach. It was the first alcohol he'd had to drink since he took the security job on Babylon 5 that the then Commander Jeffrey Sinclair had offered him. 'Tonight was a good night to break his sabbatical,' he decided as the alcohol warmed within him. "Damon, I need to know who brought, and more importantly who delivered these flowers last week to Commander Ivanova. It was a dozen real, red roses." Michael handed Damon the card from Susan's quarters.
Tudor studied the card for several minutes. "It is a card from my shop, but that is not my handwriting. Besides, I didn't sell a dozen fresh or suspended red roses in the last two weeks. His forehead wrinkled. "Give me just a moment…" He walked to the BabCom unit and accessed his store's records. A few minutes passed before he turned to Michael, and returned the card. "Besides the whole shipment of roses from the family's greenhouses did not arrive. Since the shipping manifest didn't list them, I just figured that they hadn't been shipped. Mr. Garibaldi, I checked my records to be sure, and I didn't sell anyone any type of flowers to be delivered to the Commander."
Michael moved to the BabCom unit and inserted the crystal he had also brought. He called up the time index record he wanted, and played it. Damon moved closer to the screen. When it finished, he spoke. "Please, play it for me one more time," he requested. He pulled a pair of old-fashion glasses from his shirt pocket, and step closer to the screen.
Once it finished playing for a second time, Damon removed his glasses, stored them in his shirt pocket once again, and rubbed his eyes for several seconds. Sighing, he finally looked at Michael. "Mr. Garibaldi, what is this all about?' He hadn't heard anything about trouble involving the Commander?
"Damon, I sorry, but you know I can't tell you anything about an ongoing investigation," Garibaldi sense Damon's worry. "I can tell you that it is very serious situation…" he finally shared with the man.
Damon nodded. He thought so. "I have been in this business for over sixty-five years… ever since my grandfather took me into the family's greenhouses when I was just a child, and taught me the beautiful mysteries of growing flowers. We had always ran an honest business… A business that I have been proud of… " As he spoke, he returned to the bar and drank another shot of vodka before he continued. "… Until possibly now. My sister sent her grandson- Jean Bennett- to me last year. He has been in trouble almost since he was born. He takes after his father, or so I have been told. She had hoped I would be able to 'straighten him out' before he ended up being sent to a penal colony… " He looked up at Michael, and it was the first time Michael had ever seen his friend look… old. "He is worthless," Damon spat. "Last week, I had to give him money to replace his delivery uniform. He tried to tell me that they had been stolen, but I didn't believe him. Thought he was too cheap to get them cleaned."
Michael struggled to keep his face devoid of emotion. Inwardly, his anger seethed. He would bet his paycheck that the "deliveryman" at Susan's door was the kidnapper in the nephew's uniform. "Is that your nephew on the vid?"
"No, but the uniform is definitely the one we use at the shoppe. The person in the vid is a lot taller, and looks a lot more muscular. My nephew is too lazy to workout."
"Any place else someone might had been able to get the roses?"
Damon didn't hesitate when he said, "Jean, of course." Damon shook his head. "Over the last six months, my orders have been coming up short, but the manifests have always matched what I have received… a dozen here, and a dozen there to begin with, but, recently, it has begun to get worse. Just last week, I had complained to my sister while we were doing our monthly talk. She manages the home office on Earth. She is supposed to be checking into it." He paused, "You know, now that I think about it, my nephew was in the shoppe when I made the call."
'And his extra money source would be drying up,' Garibaldi concluded, and his anger raised another level.
"Do you know where your nephew might be at this time of night?" Michael asked.
Damon retrieved a card key from his nearby desk, and handed it to Michael. "If he isn't drinking at Black Pearl… it's in Brown 7…"
Michael nodded. He knew the place. The crowd in there was rather rough bunch.
"… He will be passed out in his room, Blue 1102. I pay the rent so search it for anything that might help your investigation." Damon rubbed his face once again.
Garibaldi accepted the item. "Thanks for your help, Damon." He rested his hand on the old man's shoulder for a moment. "I know how hard this has to be for you… but know that you have been a tremendous help. I'll return this to you as soon as I am done."
"Commander Ivanova is such a nice lady… Red roses are her favorite. On her birthday, she always stops in and buys some as a present to herself…" Damon turned and returned to his bedroom without saying another word.
As soon as Garibaldi was back in the transport tube, he activated his com-link. "Garibaldi to Allen."
"Allen here," came the reply.
"Zack, I need you to send someone to relieve Lou. Have him meet me at the Black Pearl as soon as he can."
"Will do, Chief," Zack replied. "Need anymore help?" He knew he was really tired of being in the office. He wanted to be out there doing something… anything but this cage of an office.
Michael could hear Zack's frustration, but he was the best person to help him coordinate everything. And then be there to back him up if… no he had to be honest… when he got in trouble. Zack was the best second he had worked with in a long time. "Not right now… but you'll be the first one that I call when that changes."
"Gotcha, Chief. Allen out."