Hello- I know it's been awhile! Thanks so much for your patience and continued interest in this story! I am really so proud of how far it has come and where it is going. As I said earlier it might take a little while to get the rest of this finished and posted for you, so thanks for all the support! As always, please read and let me know what you think! xK
Chapter 49
Adama himself searched the brig for any sign of how the cylon had escaped. There was nothing that pointed toward even a hint of an answer, and no one had seen a thing. The guard had been knocked out, his key had been stolen, and somehow the cylon had been secreted to the hanger deck without anybody noticing. It was both highly improbable and deeply disturbing. Someone had helped the prisoner escape, someone good. That was the worst part. It had to have been someone clever enough to pull it off flawlessly. There were only a handful of people capable of something like that and Bill shuttered to think that one of his crew was complicit, much less an active part in this type of treachery.
After his own thorough examination he allowed the Sergeant at Arms to continue her investigation and went back to the CIC. The fleet had already jumped to a new position in case the cylon captive relayed their status to the cylons. He spent the day dealing with the duties he'd neglected while at Laura's bedside, while his mind constantly swirled with thoughts of betrayal and treason. It wasn't just that the prisoner had escaped, it was that she had put the entire fleet in jeopardy, and whoever had helped her was guilty of the highest offense possible. That person had betrayed their race, their species, and had betrayed Adama personally. It made his heart pound with rage.
0o0o
"Madam President, after all the bad blood between you, were you prepared to let Vice President Zareck take over the Presidency?" A reporter yelled above the din of the rowdy press conference.
Laura laughed and gathered herself to respond. "While I wouldn't describe it as 'bad-blood', you are right that the Vice President and I have had our disagreements. However, a lot has happened since the attacks on the Colonies and our time on New Caprica, and you know as well as I do that there is not an unchanged person among the fleet. Mr. Zareck is quite simply the most-capable and talented Vice President I could ever hope for, and I think he would make an excellent President….But just not today," She added with a laugh. The room laughed as well, and she thanked them before turning to leave.
"That went well," She said softly to Tory as she took a seat at her desk. The press had been astonished to find her alive, and looking so well. They had been prepared to release news of her death to the fleet and instead they found a relaxed and even exuberant Laura Roslin at the podium before them. But her miraculous recoveries were beginning to be old news, and they quickly changed the focus to more gossip-worthy subjects.
Tory handed the President a stack of folders with a smile. "It's good to have you back Madam President."
"It's good to be back Tory," Laura smiled. "Let's get to work."
Zareck had done a decent job with what he'd been handed, or Tory had made it look like he did. They had managed to keep the fleet in business as usual while she'd been unable to complete her duties, and she was eternally grateful to the both of them. However, a few things had slipped through the cracks and she took a deep breath before preparing to dive in.
"Madam President, there is one thing we should discuss before we get started," Tory said hesitantly, taking her seat. Laura arched an eyebrow and waited. "The press is going to start noticing if you continue to maintain your current… living arrangements."
Laura let herself laugh on the inside. She understood what Tory was suggesting, but there was really no need for her to be so awkward about it.
"I agree. The last thing I need right now are rumors about my ability to manage the Presidency," she replied, wracking her brain for a solution. Before, it hadn't really mattered to her. She was dying, and if the press had somehow discovered her little secret she wouldn't be around to deal with the fallout. But now… now the fallout could be disastrous for both her and Bill. People would start to question their ability to make independent decisions, and might even take it as an inadvertent coup.
"I had an idea Madam President," Tory offered quietly. "I visit Galactica fairly frequently." She said awkwardly. "I could request the shuttles for myself, and I don't see why your name would need to appear on the passenger manifest. I'm sure the pilots would make an exception if you asked them to."
Laura considered Tory's suggestion carefully. She set aside Tory's revelation that she herself had reasons to be spending nights aboard the battlestar, and weighed the risks of what she was proposing. The crew of Galactica had already pledged themselves to keeping their secret. They seemed to accept her and maybe, just maybe it was possible to keep it all quiet.
"That just might work," Laura responded after considering all the options. "But if you would, monitor the gossip, the dailies, the rags, and the instant any rumor of substance comes up I want to know." Tory agreed, and with that settled the pair resumed their duties and got back to actually leading the fleet.
Despite being consumed by the problems left to be solved, throughout the day Laura felt a strange sensation rising within her. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before, it was as if something was tugging at her sleeve hoping to tell her something. As the evening ran on, Laura finished her last call and set the phone down. She shook her head and took off her glasses. It was so distracting to have this feeling eating at her with every turn.
She was startled as Tory reentered the room, not because the girl had surprised her, but because her strange sensation seemed to surge within her. It was as if she recognized something that she'd seen before, someone that she ought to have known instantly. There was something about Tory that was so familiar, something different that she should have been able to grasp.
Her aide began to speak to her as she stared in a daze, but Tory's words did not breech the intense concentration that held her. Where did she know that feeling? What was it that was so familiar, but that she couldn't put her finger on?
In an instant everything became clear. It was that moment of epiphany that is so surprising and yet expected at the same time. Tory was no different than she had been for as long as Laura had known her, it was Laura herself who had changed. She had seen things in her vision, in her 'time between', that she hadn't even understood or recognized at the time. Now, it hit her like a ton of bricks and she gasped with the realization. Tory was a cylon, somehow Laura could feel it.
"Madam President, are you alright," Tory said, watching as the President's expression changed so drastically and so quickly.
Laura shook herself from her daze and her shock and cleared her throat. "I'm fine, Tory, just tired." She lied; she was abuzz with adrenaline and amazement. She was stunned, but as her realization set in, she was suddenly also very scared. She found herself fighting a battle in her own mind. It was a fight between her new found knowledge and understanding, and her very human emotion of fear and vengeance. The cylons were dangerous, and she was unused to being so close to one without the comfort of a marine guard or chain shackles. The thought made her shutter both in fear, and in shame. If she couldn't suppress her own reaction, her own hatred and fear of the cylons, how could she expect the rest of humanity to do the same?
This all played out in an instant inside of her. But as she realized what was happening, she was also able to make a definitive choice. She could allow her shock and her lower urges to overcome her; or she could trust in her own revelations and in the visions she'd seen. The cylons were no longer the greatest threat to humanity, in fact they were the only hope the human race had.
"Madam President," Tory said again, worried and confused.
"I'm sorry Tory," Laura sighed, rising from her seat. "It's been an overwhelming day, and I was just realizing how much I've missed you, and how grateful I am to have you here." She stepped around her desk and pulled the young cylon-woman into a tight embrace. Tory was only slightly stunned, but hugged her back.
It was the President's affections that always made her think about her true nature and how much she hated herself with every breath. She was the enemy, she betrayed Roslin every moment that she acted as if nothing was wrong. And yet, what could she do? She considered telling the President what she really was; she thought of throwing herself in the brig. And then one day she decided that the only thing she could do was to take her own life. She simply couldn't bring herself to do it now, the President needed her, and as her mentor embraced her she reaffirmed within herself that she would make the choice to live and to work everyday to redeem herself, to make it right. It would be easier to throw herself out an airlock than to live knowing who and what she was, but she chose to make up for it the only way she knew how.
Laura sighed as she let her aide go and walked away. It was difficult to accept that such a trusted friend, and such a vital person to the fleet was actually a cylon. Laura wondered if Tory even knew, or would ever know, who and what she really was. She could still feel the distrust and fear rising up within her, and it seemed unstoppable. But Laura had made her choice. This was right, this was the future. The time for grudges and differences was over. The future of humanity was at stake, it was time to take the risk and to trust in what she knew to be right. It was a choice every human was going to face eventually, but Laura knew it had to start with her.
