The Cylon guards returned exactly one and one half centares later. The scene that met their sensors would have shocked them, had they been equipped with emotion circuits.
Gone was the cell full of brainless, listless humans. Instead, they found a makeshift casino! Benches had been pushed together to form gaming tables. Cards and cubits were made from the synthetic dishes the prisoners received their rations from. There was even a strange-looking slot machine made from Cylon armor held together with holsters! Oddly, though, the humans were nowhere to be seen.
This did not compute. When the Cylons had left, there were prisoners. When they returned, the prisoners appeared to be gone.
"Locate the humans," one Cylon told the other in trademark Cylon monotone. The Cylons opened the slatted cell gate and clomped into the cell-casino. They busily began overturning tables and throwing things around.
Suddenly, a blanket snuck up behind each Cylon and knocked them out with a pair of boots. Celeste and Zac emerged from under the blankets. They tied up the Cylons' legs with warrior belts.
"Good thing they left us with our belts and holsters when they took our blasters!" Celeste remarked.
"Yeah," Zac picked up the Cylons' guns and handed one to Celeste, "Okay, time for phase two."
"Right," said Celeste. She quickly lashed the cell door open with her own belt, and then she pulled the blankets off a makeshift blind, which hid the other prisoners!
"Come, on, guys, snap to it!" Celeste ordered the sleepy warriors. Groggily, they tried to stand up. Starbuck leapt to his feet.
"Wha-what's going on?" he cried, "Where am I?"
"Starbuck! Welcome back to the land of the living." Celeste grabbed another warrior to help him to his feet.
"My head, " Starbuck said. Then he saw Zac.
"Hey, if we're alive, what's he doing here?"
"I'll explain later," Celeste shoved Starbuck out the cell door, "But the Cylons will be sending reinforcements any micron. We've got to get these guys out to the hangar bay."
"Hangar bay?" Starbuck mumbled. He wasn't totally awake yet.
"Celeste! We've got keys!" Zac pulled a sat of cell keys off of an inert Cylon. Celeste did the same with the other Cylon.
"Great! Starbuck, you get these guys out. Zac, you and I are going to unlock the other cells." Celeste sprang into action. She and Zac ran down the hall, unlocking cells as they went. Starbuck helped the prisoners get out of their cells. They were all in various states of consciousness. The most alert warriors helped Starbuck, trying to rouse their sleeping companions.
When Zac and Celeste had opened the last cell and freed the people inside, Celeste dashed to the front of the half-awake crowd.
"Follow me!" she shouted. She moved ahead, with Zac bringing up the rear, making sure no one got left behind. Starbuck was somewhere in between, trying to keep people moving. The group slowly left the prison.
Blaster fire was heard from up ahead. The Cylons had come! Zac pushed through the crowd to the front to help Celeste fight them off.
The Cylons didn't stand a chance.
Within microns, Celeste was taking blasters from fallen Cylons and distributing them amongst the most alert warriors.
"Okay, everyone, follow Zac now!" Celeste said. She turned to Zac, "You know where the main hanger bay is. Go there, break into the computer, and unlock the security codes for all of the Cylon fighters and the shuttle Lemon. Get the sleepiest warriors into the shuttle, and all the alert ones into fighters. Then launch and hightail it for home. Got it? The Lemon has the coordinates for the Galactica programmed in."
Zac nodded. Then he looked concerned, "What about you? Where are you going?"
"I…" Celeste glanced toward a corridor, "have a date with destiny." She looked back at Zac, "Your job is to get those pilots in the air. Don't worry about me; I'll join you soon. Okay?"
Zac tried to smile at her, "Yes, ma'am!"
Celeste looked at Zac for a moment before she took off down the corridor. He did look a lot like a young Apollo. He was lucky. Soon, he might see his family again.
Celeste ran down the hallway, scanning the doors. The writing was in Cylon, but she could read it and understand it. Finally, she came to one that said, "Fighter Beam Relay Station". That must be it.
Slowly, Celeste opened the surprisingly unlocked door. She pointed the blaster inside and peeked into the room.
A few Cylons stood in the dark room around a large generator of some kind. Celeste knew it was what she had come for. She knew it was the reason she had come here the first time. It was networked to the weapons systems of every single Cylon fighter in the galaxy.
It was the machine that captured pilots.
Taking a deep breath, Celeste swung around the door and fired the gun at the Cylons. All but one went down. The one Cylon ducked behind the generator. It leapt up to fire at Celeste, but she was too quick. The Cylon joined its fellow Cylons on the floor.
Celeste walked up to the Cylon and stood looking down at it.
"I'll bet you were the one in charge here." Celeste said, "Which means…" she reached down and felt around the Cylon's utility belt.
"Ah ha!" She said when her hand found what she was looking for, "I thought so!" Celeste grabbed it and held it up in the dim light.
A bomb with a timer. Designed to destroy the generator at a moment's notice, in case the station fell to enemies.
"Perfect."
Celeste twisted the top of the bomb, stuck it to the underside of the awful machine, and dashed out of the room.
The bomb ticked away the time.