In Captian Cruch We Trust.....

Tecnicians back at NSA shout in surprise as their trace equipment suddenly locks up and drops the trace. Whistler then turns around with a strange look on his face......

"Uh Bish, they....dropped the trace." Whistler says in a surprised tone, "Why, I don't know....but they did!"

Bishop, who'd been about to slam the receiver back down on it's cradle (and was about to royally cuss out Inquirer for blocking him), then snaps around in surprise.

"They did WHAT?" he asks Whistler, shocked, then whips back and looks back at Inquirer, who's smiling a very satisfied smile.

"You did that?" he asks incredulously, "How?"

"Spy stuff," she said simply, "It not only makes the trace stop....it also makes them have to start the trace all over again from scratch....since the route they traced also got flushed."

Shout from the other end of the line seem to be confirming this.

"Whatta mean you lost them?!" Abbot roars at somebody on his side of the line before turning back his phonecallers.

Inquirer and the others can almost see him glaring at them.

"Okay I don't know how you did that....Mr. Bishop, but you're only making it harder on yourself. But...I suppose it's become a habit with you. The trouble you got yourself into in stealing from others electronically was YOUR own doing, after all!" Abbot growls.

Bishop gapes at the phone, surprised at the fact that Abbot actually knew who he was despite the effort to cloak who'd been calling him.

He also is beginning to grow angry at the NSA's agent taking the high moral ground with HIM!

Privately, Inquirer agreed, to a certain extent, with Abbot, but that would hardly win her a smooth working arrangement with Crease if she said that allowed.

"He's only using logic," Inquirer whispered to him, "Your friends calling you Bish near the end just allowed him to put two and two together!"

Several of the Sneakers look abash, realizing the mistake they'd made as Bishop just stares at them.

"My turn," Inquirer says almost gleefully as she elbows Bishop out of the way.

Betty and Ragan give off a small chuckle when they hear Inquirer speak next. She was using her natural ability of being able to mimic any voice to further throw off the adversary!

Nyssa just looks at the others in askance when Inquirer starts to make a heavy breathing sound and uses a deep, sinister voice. She'd never seen Star Wars and thus had no idea who Darth Vader was, so didn't recognize the imitation.

The Doctor chuckled as well, realizing that the mocking that Inquirer is doing has an even deeper meaning. The actor who played Mr. Abbot in the movie also had been the voice of the evil Jedi knight in that Star Wars flick.....

"Hostility I unbecoming of you, Benard Abbot," she said menacingly, "Please reframe from it."

"How....did you know....." Abbot says after a few seconds gapping back at his phone.

"Never mind that!" Inquirer snapped, "Tell me why YOU want the item. Are you part of the cabal?"

Abbot begins to sweat, nervous. Are the others onto his faction?

"It....belongs to me," he said nervously, totally unnerved by recent events.

The needle that Mother is watching dances crazily. Inquirer also is able to detect the high stress present within the voice that showed.....that Abbot was lying.

"Try again," Inquirer said, after again applying her little device to throw off the trace that is beginning....again. "The truth....the real truth.....this TIME! And....tell me just why you want it. Don't f*** with us......"

"I....." Abbot manages to get out before sighing.

If they knew this much....then he was already dead as well as his comrades!

"I mean to destroy it," he sighed, "And no....I'm not part of the cabal."

Bishop and the other Sneakers look first at the instrument that detects falsehood in a person's voice, then at the phone, and then at Inquirer....who's smiling again. This smile is one of a different nature than her first one. This one is one of a person who'd just learned her convictions were correct.

"So.....I see that I was correct," she finally says, "Don't worry....you'll get the Item. Just a FYI, we're not part of the cabal either. See you soon!"

Inquirer hangs up before Abbot can say anything else.

She then turns and sees the Sneakers just staring at her.

1. "We need to quiz your memory, Bryce" Inquirer (dropping the Darth Vader act) says in a business like tone that silently said that their questions will be answered....later if ever!

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