Sharon looked at Tom Zarek's trembling body. She smiled evilly, her brown eyes turning vicious. "I don't see anyone coming to help you."
"My help will come," Zarek said. "It will come and take care of you and your malfeasance."
"Leave him be," Tigh added. "We need to speak elsewhere."
Tigh, Sharon, and their flotilla of guards went to a conference room. Lee and the President were already seated at the table. Sharon flinched as soon as she saw the Commander's son, but she went to the seat offered by the President.
"What's next?" Roslin asked.
"They're in shock," Sharon explained. "The loss of a base ship is significant. They need time to anticipate your next move. I know why we came here now."
"Here to Kobol? The Prophecies," Roslin answered her own question.
"No, we came here because of the Cylons," Tigh said. "Gaeta plotted the jump. They've been carefully herding us here for a reason."
"Well?" Lee asked spitefully, staring at Sharon. "Let's hear it."
"To catch you off guard. You found a planet, you're breathing a sigh of relief. You'll put out a clarion call for any remaining stragglers to come here. And then they collapse on you like they did back at Caprica and the other colonies. You're susceptible to it."
"Colonel?" Roslin asked.
"It's a sound plan. Get us in one place and let us have it again. It's what I'd try to do if I was them."
"What can we do? How much time do we have?" Lee inquired impatiently.
"Maybe 24 hours. The forces they have over the planet now, that's nothing. We need to leave Kobol and never look back. As for where to go, I don't know. I don't have those answers."
"You're one of them," Lee said sarcastically.
"It doesn't mean I get the entire database, and things have changed. I can't guess, and I don't know where to go. You think I plotted my own jumps? This location is one of the most closely guarded Cylon secrets, and I didn't know where it was. I would suggest you start plotting new jumps, and do it quickly. This fleet is on the clock," Sharon declared.
"Madame President, we need to go see Commander Adama and make some decisions. Lieutenant, return to the lab and continue testing the samples we've collected. I'll see that you receive a new priority list."
"Yes, sir," Sharon replied.
Tigh and Roslin left the room before the guards could escort Sharon back to the lab. That gave Lee time to speak.
"Hold it," Lee said. "You may have pulled this act on the Colonel, but you're not pulling it on me. Your day is coming, Cylon, and when it does, I'll be on the firing squad, and I'll pay good cubits to see that I'm not issued a blank cartridge."
Not every man on a Colonial firing squad received a live round. Some received blanks to cool the guilt of putting another soldier to death. It allowed the squad to self-delude themselves into believing they didn't fire the fatal shot.
"Fine, Captain, get one of the guards' weapons and do it. Put me out of my misery and you can get your revenge."
Lee stared at Sharon's eyes. He tried to figure out if the Cylon was telling the truth. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Frankly, I don't care one way or the other now. By giving you information and advising you, I stay alive longer. Now is that a good thing or what, I don't know. I don't like the Cylons, and I sure as hell don't like myself. This isn't adding up to get me anywhere, it's just what I feel like doing. Take it or leave it. Now, are you going to escort me to the lab or what?"
"I don't understand you…"
"There's nothing to understand, Captain. I'm a screw-up as a Cylon. I'm a screw-up as a Colonial warrior. So why don't you just shoot me and put me out of your misery? You can do that or you can accept what I'm able to do and try to save what's left of your civilization. It's entirely up to you."
"Guard," Lee said gruffly, "take her back to the lab. This isn't over."