Chapter 11- paying the price

As he stared down at the sheet covered form he marveled how opinions could change in an instant.

Yesterday if Sharon had died fighting cylons they'd all be upset and in mourning. Today because Sharon was a cylon several people wanted to come by to spit in her dead face. Daring to lift the sheet Lee looked at her and thought about the look in her eyes at the moment she'd fallen to the ground. She had looked like she had no idea why a gun was even in her hand or why she'd just been shot. It spoke of manipulation and that was something he was deeply worried about. He had to ask himself whether the hybrid expected something in return for revealing the knowledge of Sharon as a cylon. Did she expect him to suddenly take up the cylon cause and to betray his own people.

He didn't want to know the answer to that question which was why he taken the half full bottle of stims from the locked drawer in his office. He'd slipped himself a few and as a result was very much awake while the rest of the pilots were sleeping. If his father or Cottle found out what he was doing he would be in trouble. But part of him didn't care, he just couldn't shut his eyes again.

Not to far away Bill Adama was listening to Dr Cottle, "there was nothing I could do to save her Commander there was too much damage."

Bill nodded, "did she say anything", he asked. "Just screamed I am not a cylon before she died", Cottle replied. He tapped his screen, "Dr Baltar did the test just to make sure and got a positive, she was a cylon."

Letting out a huge sigh, Bill sank into a seat. "If she was placed aboard this ship years ago then the cylons have had a long term plan to annihilate us", he stated.

"Humanity always likes to experiment, Cottle replied, "but they went to far with the cylons" .

"Yeah and the cylons experimented as well Major. They created a hybrid using human and cylons". Bill looked seriously at the Doc. "This is between us but there is a suggestion that Lee is linked to this cylon/human hybrid in some way."

Cottle raised his eyebrows, "so was that how he knew Lt. Valerii was a cylon", he asked.

Bill frowned, Lee had just said he noticed some suspicious behaviour and both he and Tigh had accepted that. Surely Lee would not have hidden the fact he could also detect cylons. But he also knew his son was nervous about his gift and did not really want to be used as some sort of weapon. If he could detect skin jobs it would make him even more valuable as a military asset and was definitely something Lee did not want."

"You raise an interesting point Dr", Bill mused," I think I might just ask the Captain that myself".

"I have no idea what is wrong with them," Leoban stated as he addressed his anxious colleagues. "All of the hybrids in the other basestars responded the same, refusal to jump. "They have never done this before, 6 stated, "so why do it now."

"The gifted one can be our salvation", the hybrid stated loudly. Leoban drew in a sharp breath, "I think that was our answer." It is about him again".

"Yeah but he is human, he will never help us" , an 8 stated. She bent down beside the hybrid, "he won't help us". "he will bring about his peoples undoing", the hybrid continued.

6 looked stunned, "are you saying that if he doesn't help us, his own people will die", she asked.

Hybrids have never really been known to give direct answers but refusing the command to jump seemed to have started a trend because she simply stated "yes".

So I take it that means we can't kill him, Leoban moaned. "No", the cylons looked down at the hybrid as she uttered the word.

"Great, so tell me just how is this human going to help us", Leoban demanded. The hybrid suddenly started spouting nonsense again giving them all the idea that she was not going to help them with that question. That is not the question that worries me", 6 told them." This pilot is part of the colonial fleet so that means we cannot kill them either. So tell me how we are going to make the others believe it is a good idea to stop hunting down the rest of humanity."

Leoban knew the others would not agree with calling off the fight but he had this feeling that the basestar would not make another jump via the hybrid if they did not. "Lets take them all off line for now", he decided. "Maybe a bit of quiet time may change things. In the mean time we will have to plot and make our own jumps". Leoban went to pull the wires connecting the hybrid and found himself falling to the ground as a current of power rippled through his hands. The hybrid was back to single answers yelling "no" loudly. "I think we are at the mercy of our own ship", an 8 relflected. Leoban did not like that one little bit.

It was a quiet patrol that searched the skies. Lee was lead pilot and was finding it hard to suppress the urge to laugh at the slightest thing. It was a side effect of taking the stims. At the moment he believed his judgement was not impaired but if he kept on not sleeping and taking them, he knew his behaviour would change.

"Well there is nothing of the slightest interest out here", Kara remarked through her mike.

That's how I like it", Lee told her. ' Why, you have nothing to worry about sir, you can just jump away, Crashdown stated. Instead of just saying he wouldn't do that Lee found the laugh he'd been trying hard to restrain leaking out, "yeah that's me jumping across the galaxy saying stuff you all". Silence greeted that remark, "I think he was just joking guys", Kara was amazed at Lee's levity and trying to put the others at ease. "Yes, just a joke, you guys should lighten up", Lee announced.

The pilots were not used to a Lee Adama that joked and kept very quiet for the rest of the patrol.

When they had all landed back on Galactica Lee found himself quickly cornered by Kara. Leaning in toward him Kara made sniffing noises. "What the frak are you doing", Lee objected. "Seeing if you are drunk", Kara replied. 'Of course I'm not drunk I don't fly after I've been drinking", came back the reply. "Yeah well you were n't acting at all like your usual self out there", Kara stated . She could not smell any alcohol on Lee's breath but looking closely in his eyes she found they did not look 'right'. She was still worried about the other night when they had found it hard to wake Lee. "What's wrong", she demanded, keeping her gaze on his face. 'Nothing", Lee did his best poker face. Kara was not too certain how correct that was and was leaning in closer still when she was interrupted.

"Looking for a kiss Lt.", Kara was staring right at Lee and realizing his lips were not moving. Lee's face looked rather startled and that was when it occurred to Kara that someone was behind her. She turned to face Colonel Tigh who had been doing a very bad impression of Lee's voice. "Just a mission debriefing sir", she snapped out. "Is that what they call it now", Tigh grumbled at her. Kara felt her face screw up as a short sharp reply came into her head, but then a warm hand thrust itself into hers and squeezed. That was Lee's unspoken command to not make trouble. "Permission to be dismissed", Kara asked formally Tigh nodded and she quickly hurried off. Lee was about to turn and walk away not wanting to risk a talk with Tigh when the Colonel ordered, "the Commander wants to see you right away". Lee threw him a precise salute and moved off toward his fathers quarters.

"You wanted to see me Sir, he asked rigidly as he stood ramrod straight in his fathers room. He wasn't worried that his father had heard his remarks on the mission as they'd been off mike.

But the searching glances his father was giving him were telling him that this was not just a casual chat. "I recall telling you a while ago that you'd be in trouble if you lied to me again", Lee swallowed at his fathers voice through strangely the tone was more searching than angry. "Lied to you, I don't understand", he bluffed firmly. "In what way was Lt. Valeriis behaviour strange", Adama asked. Lee frowned, "what", he asked. "You heard me Captain, I am asking you what particular behaviours gave you the idea Sharon was a cylon", his father clarified.

Oh frak thought Lee he suspected something. But unless he can actually see in my dreams he can't be sure. So what should he do now confess to seeing visions of cylons hybrids and know it'd lead to him being grounded or risk his fathers wrath and actually lie. "I am waiting Captain", Bill's gaze was wondering over Lees face noting it was impassive and gave nothing away. Lee had always been good at hiding behind a mask . "Well sir she just seemed to be in her own world, like her mind was far way", Lee had gone for the lie. "Then she seemed to have this obsession with her gun", why not elaborate a bit thought Lee. The stimms in his system were making him falsely bold, "she'd sit there cleaning it and caressing it, kind of creepy", he added.

Bill was staring right at Lee and couldn't tell if he was actually telling the truth. "I am asking this because Cottle raised an interesting point", he told Lee, I told him about how your gift might have descended from some human/cylon hybrid and he asked if that was how you knew Sharon was a cylon."

Lee could not help it he actually laughed and watched as his father gave him a stunned look. "Prior to yesterday I had no idea Sharon was a cylon", he told his father truthfully. Bill found himself believing that. "It is amazing how she fooled us all, Bill continued, I am thankful you intervened.

Lee nodded his acceptance of what was as close as his father would ever come to saying, "I'm sorry".

"I haven't told Tigh about what you did to the basestar Lee. " Adama continued. "Since it caused an extreme reaction in your body I would say that jumping a basestar is not a safe thing to do. I do not aim to use you as a spearhead in any anti cylon campaign, expecting you to just pull basestars out of the sky. But if I share that knowledge I may just get over ruled", Bill told him firmly.

Lee swallowed guessing his father was probably right. He thought that if another pilot had had the gift he'd probably be wanting them ti go seek revenge . As long as that other pilot wasn't Starbuck. That thought also popped into his head.

I cannot however save you from any future plans to use your vipers jumpdrive", there it was what Lee knew was coming. It occurred to him then that by confessing that a hybrid was 'talking to him he actually might save himself from future missions. But he also didn't fancy being locked away and examined because they thought he was being influenced. So again he said nothing .

But later that night as he lay awake with stims running through his system he realised he was probably only putting off the inevitable . Still giving himself a few days may present a solution.

In the morning he was back up in his viper feeling even less in control than before. "You know it has never been this quiet before", Kara observed. "I keep expecting the cylons to pop out on us. They are being strangely quiet. We have taken their fuel and I would have thought they wanted payback".

Maybe we actually scared them," Marauder suggested. "Us scare the things that wiped out billions of humans, I doubt it, scoffed Lee.

"Then why haven't they attacked", Kara asked. Lee never got the chance to answer that because his viper suddenly jumped.

He found himself in a totally different location staring at 5 cylon basestars. Galactica, galactica, he forced the thought into his head. But the ship did not respond.

As he stared at the basestars it suddenly occurred to him that if he could override a hybrid and jump a cylon basestar then the hybrid could probably do the same to his ship.

Obviously the hybrid had given up waiting for his dream state visits and was going for one up close and personal. Now Lee really did regret not telling his father everything.