Apollo looked out his Viper to see a group of raiders descending on him rapidly.

"Cat cover me now!" He ordered. "I'm going to take a run before they can reach me."

"Roger Apollo. I'll try to draw them away."

Lee set his viper in line with the mid point of the basestar and immediately dove for the heavily covered nexus area of the basestar. He plowed through four raiders who were in his way.

"There's one on your tail Apollo!" Cat screamed into the radio. "Apollo pull up abort now!" Cat screamed at him.

Lee ignored her. If he was dead, he planned on completing his mission first

He was almost there. "Just a few more seconds." He mumbled mostly to himself.

A raider closed and fired. Lee's viper shook violently as the missile connected with Lee's engine blowing it out leaving him with only one engine and steering thrusters. By some miracle of the gods his trajectory was exactly what he needed. He closed in on the nexus of the basestar and fired his guns.

He fired one more time and turned the nexus into debris just as Sharon had instructed. Well, he had done it. Four raiders converged on him and launched missiles at him.

His one engine was clearly destroyed. His second engine was not much better. He really didn't want to die today. It wasn't much , but with his steering thrusters it was just enough to get him out of the way.

His bird handled like a lead weight. Another raider fired and this time he knew he couldn't get out of the way in time.

"Frak!" He muttered unaware the channel was open.

"You can say that again Apollo." Cat came zooming in front of his viper. The missile picked up her vapor trail and veered away from Lee's viper.

"Not today you frakking bastards not today." Kara shot the missile out of the sky.

Cat heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks Starbuck I owe you."

"Wingnut you're with Cat. I've got Apollo."

"Apollo what's your status?" Starbuck asked.

Kara went toward Apollo's viper blasting raiders as she went. She got close to Apollo's viper and let out an involuntary exclamation.

"Damn Apollo someone up there likes you."

The left engine was blown away leaving exposed wiring. The right wasn't much better. It appeared to be missing half of it at least. A little to the left or right and his viper would have exploded.

"Yeah!" Apollo agreed shocked now that he had time to take inventory of his viper, or what was left of it.

"Galactica this is Helo."

"Galactica here raptor 1."

"Sir, the raiders are jumping away. Apollo has sustained extensive damage to his viper.Orders sir?" He asked.

Adama heaved a sigh. "Apollo this is Galactica. What is your status over?"

Lee could hear the worry in his father's voice.

"Galactica…" Just as Lee was going to assure his father everything was fine the oxygen alarm went off in his cockpit. "Frak!" Lee said forgetting the channel was open.

"Come again Apollo." Adama warned.

"Sorry Galactica." Lee answered chagrinned. What was it about his father that could still make him feel like a five year old child ,even in the middle of a serious crisis. "I'm losing pressure Galactica. Apollo over."

"Prepare for emergency landing!" Adama shouted into the comm.

"Negative Galactica. My engines are dead. Helo you there?" Apollo called into the comm..

"This is Helo Apollo. What's your situation Captain?"

"I need a ride, NOW." Lee emphasized as he watched the gage in the viper decline rapidly.

He sounded strange to Helo and Kara.

"We're opening the bay doors hang on Apollo. Hang on."

There was no answer from Apollo. The static was chilling.

"Hey flyboy this is Starbuck. How's it going over there?" Kara shouted into the radio.

"Answer me Apollo! Answer me now." Starbuck demanded.

"Grab him. Get the doors." Helo shouted at Boomer as he maneuvered the raptor into position to grab Lee's viper.

"Apollo this is Helo. We're almost there. Copy."

No reply "Frak! Sharon hurry now!" Helo ordered.

Sharon rose and started for the hatch. The marines rose and pointed their weapons.

"Not now you frak heads!" She went to plow through them.

"Marines stand down NOW! That's an order." Helo shouted at them.

Sharon waited for the compartment to pressurize. She looked through the window. Apollo's head lolled to the side. He did not appear to be conscious. His flight suit and helmet were still in place. She hoped there was still some oxygen coming through his line. His oxygen supply had probably failed due to the damage his viper sustained.

Frak! Sharon closed the door behind her so she wouldn't risk depressurizing the main cabin. She quickly manually overrode the lock on the bay. Hopefully Cylons could survive a partial compression because she didn't think Lee would survive much longer.

Sharon ran to his mangled viper . She riped the hood open without thinking to unlatch it first. "Captain! Apollo answer me! Hey Adama talk to me dammit.!"

There was no response. Sharon checked for a pulse. Frak! He wasn't breathing. Frak!

The door behind her opened as marines came charging into the area.

"Get me a med kit now!" She ordered

The marines stared at her for a minute.

"Frak it I said now! He's not breathing get me a frakking med kit. Now! Are you frakking deaf? Get me a frakking med kit!" She screamed

One of the marines came out of his stupor and ran toward the main compartment.

She found a crate and quickly brought it along side his ship. Sharon pulled so hard she broke the restraint straps holding Apollo in place. Sharon forcefully hauled Lee from the cockpit and dumped him on the floor of the compartment.

She began mouth to mouth praying it wasn't too late. Nothing, he wasn't responding

"Come on Adama breathe dammit breathe!" she shouted at him as she began chest compressions.

"The paddles now!" Sharon demanded. She rapidly unzipped his flight suit and tore at his shirts underneath exposing his chest.

The marine grabbed the portable paddles from the emergency kit, and charged them.

"Clear!" He shouted. Apollo jumped when they contacted his chest.

Sharon immediately began breathing for him again. "Don't you dare die on me you frakker! Don't you dare." she commanded.