Said the Joker to the Thief

Kara was in the chamber again. Gaeta was looking at her, but this time he didn't seem happy.

"So now you know."

Kara nodded. "Count Iblis. I still don't believe it." She looked at a framed picture on the wall. It was a painting of a bearded man in an old, pre-Colonial uniform. "Well, I guess now we know what happened to him."

"The Terrans don't know what they've found. In their prophecies is the prediction that a false god will emerge during a time of judgment."

"The Book of Revelations. Yeah, I've been studying their religion. What the frak does that have to do with me?"

"You know that Earth is unprepared for a Cylon attack. If Iblis returns, many of Earth's people will be easily mislead."

"I'm still just one person," Kara objected. "What can I do against somebody like Iblis?"

"You'll know…"

"It's just security duty for the exhibit," Tony said. "I didn't realize you were such a history buff."

"I just want to see what the big deal is," Kara offhandedly replied. If you only knew the truth… But it would take too long to try and convince anybody, and even though Tony was a nice guy, he probably wouldn't believe her, either. And why would he? I'm really from another star system and I'm here to save the world from a guy most people on my planet thought was a myth. Yeah, that would've worked real well.

The crowds at the museum were smaller than they might have been back home-Hades, back on Caprica there would've been a riot over this exhibit. The Terrans' blissful ignorance actually made her job easier.

Gaeta had told her-or, rather, shown her-what to do. After the museum closed for the night, she talked the security guards into letting her make a "Check" of the coffin. Kara's heart raced as she looked down at the lid. The name of Iblis was so synonymous with Evil in her own culture that nobody had taken the name since the fall of the Lords of Kobol. OK, you frakking bastard. Here goes nothing…

Kara said the ancient words that Gaeta had recited to her in her last vision. It had been written as an incantation, but she knew it was really a code, to reactivate whatever lay inside the coffin. Then she closed her eyes and put her hands on Iblis' name.

Blinding light struck through her. It was kind of like what Kara had experienced when she first appeared in the chamber, but this light was different. It was cold and harsh, devouring rather than embracing her with warmth. Kara's vision cleared. She was standing in another chamber, one that was smaller but more ornate than the one she'd gotten used to.

A figure stood in front of her. Unlike Gaeta's white light, this one was surrounded with a smoky red glow. Kara felt her heart seize up as she looked at the face of pure evil.

"Evil," the figure chuckled. "Come, now. Am I really as bad as all that?" Kara blinked. The red glow was gone, and the figure standing before her now looked fully human-a middle-aged, bearded man who resembled a retired professor.

"I know what you are," Kara replied through gritted teeth.

"Do you?" Iblis looked at her with what appeared to be kind, fatherly eyes. "On this world, they say that history is written by the winners. All I tried to do was show the Lords of Kobol a better way."

"You betrayed them" Kara insisted. "You turned them against each other and nearly destroyed our culture."

Iblis shook his head. "They did that to themselves. You mortals; you never understand." Iblis looked at the coffin he'd apparently emerged from. "They cast me out, so I came here. I met a man, one of their prophets, whom I thought showed potential. I offered him the chance to become a king among his people but he turned me down. He got executed for his troubles."

"Maybe he saw you for what you were, too." Kara had positioned herself in between Iblis and the coffin while they were talking.

For the first time Iblis sounded annoyed. "Another foolish idealist. Your world and this one share that much in common. Idealists who doom themselves to failure."

"Oh, yeah? And what's your message, Count? That human beings are bastards and only cause each other hurt and pain? Hells, I've seen plenty of that in my life. But you know what? There are a lot of good people out there, too. That's why you got kicked out-they wouldn't fall for your line."

"I'm very disappointed to hear you say that." Iblis sounded sad, but his eyes were glowing like embers. "I was afraid you were sent here to stop me. I'm afraid whoever sent you wasted their time."

"You mean you don't know who sent me?" Kara taunted. "Hey, Count, I thought you were this omnipotent big shot. What's the matter; are you all talk and no action? 'Cause I'm already bored with you."

"You're trying my patience, girl," Iblis growled. The smoky glow had returned. "I had some hope for you. But now I see otherwise…"

Now, Kara heard Gaeta's voice say. "Sorry, Count. You've been dethroned." Iblis looked at Kara in surprise as she held up an object she'd risked her life getting.

"No," Iblis said. "It's not possible…you couldn't have…"

Kara looked at him. "I had some help. So long, Count." Iblis screamed in protest as she plunged the arrow of Athena into his form, which writhed and turned into a black mist that was sucked into the coffin. As the lid slammed shut, the chamber disappeared in a blaze of light.

Kara knew that her time on Earth was over. She wished Tony and the other Terrans she'd befriended well. If she was right, she would see them again soon…

"You will," Gaeta's voice told her. "You will…"

The shadow passed over Lee's ship, catching him off guard. "What the hell?" But he was even more unprepared for what he saw when the ship pulled up alongside him. It was a Viper…and someone he thought was dead was in the cockpit.

Lee looked at the Viper in astonishment. "Kara?!?"

"Hey, Lee." She smiled at him. "I've been to Earth. I know where it is, and I'm gonna take us there."

THE END