The trouble with trying to work on what amounted to a flying tin can filled with militant idiots was that there was never anyone to have a conversation with. Gauis Baltar knew how to talk to common people, he even enjoyed it at times, but there were times that he longed to have a lengthy intellectual discussion with someone, anyone. On something other than the technical mechanics of killing Cylons. Especially something other than the metaphysical implications of Cylons breeding with humans. " Don't you ever get tired of this?"
Six looked up from her nails. " Every move we make brings us closer to God, Gauis."
Baltar sighed. He stepped around the lab table and sat in one of the chairs. " That's exactly what I mean. Don't you ever want to talk about something other than God and killing every human being? I mean… what about art? The theatre? Read any good books lately?"
She smiled secretively. " Gauis, are you bored? Is that it? Is the life and death struggle of the human race not entertaining enough for you? Am I not entertaining enough? Because I am sure we can find some more interesting things to do." She licked her lips and went to her knees in front of him.
He sighed again as she undid his pants. It was hard to believe that he didn't find that much enjoyment in what she was doing anymore, and his body was always happy to betray him whenever Six touched him, but it was all so easy with her. Some of the fun was in the chase. " Yes, that's all very nice… very nice… but we do this every day…."
She looked up, her eyes dark. "Is it excitement you crave, Gauis? That can be arranged, you know."
Before he could think of a way to respond, he heard the door to the lab open. I have got to put a lock that door, he thought as he quickly pulled up his pants. " It's polite to knock," he said gruffly. He had most of the tank brained guards trained on that point but the officers were a different breed entirely.
He was starting to do up the buttons on his shirt when he realized that it was just Lt. Gaeta. Correction, he told himself as Gaeta shifted slightly, it was Lt. Gaeta and one of the pretty girls that worked in the CIC. One that he hadn't had, although he doubted that Gaeta had brought the woman down to the lab for the two of them to share. He might be smarter than the average Galactica officer, but Gaeta definitely did not have an imagination when it came to such things. It would offend the younger man's sense of honor. No, the woman was probably there for some mundane reason. Possibly even serving as a watchdog, much the way that Adama used Gaeta as his watchdog. It hadn't escaped him that there had been rumors about his assistant. Some sort of physical collapse was what he had heard, and looking at Gaeta, Baltar didn't doubt that at all. He had never seen Gaeta look so rough. He had no trouble believing that someone that looked so pale and tired and yet almost unnaturally alert was possibly ill from overwork.
Not that he cared. The rumor mill also said that Gaeta was very close to making his anti-Cylon virus work. That would put Gaeta, at least in the mind of the commander, on the same level as Baltar himself. If not on a higher level, since Gaeta was a member of the military. Baltar didn't truly want Gaeta to fail, because anything that helped the fleet survive helped him survive as well… but he wasn't too upset at the thought that Gaeta was breaking down. It made his own position safer. "Lt. Gaeta? Can I help you with something? It's a little late."
Gaeta nodded. " I need to see my test results."
That was interesting, Baltar thought. He took another, more appraising look at Gaeta. There was something subtly wrong about the lieutenant. One of the rumors he had heard had concerned stim abuse, but the feeling of it was wrong.
" She's in his head," Six whispered, her voice filled with delight. " I didn't think that particular model had such subterfuge. Of course, from what we saw earlier, it looks like he got into her head as well."
Baltar nodded slightly to acknowledge her. He had been down earlier to check on the Cylon prisoner and she had been curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth, almost totally unresponsive. Sharon Valerii was very upset about the idea that her baby might not be a half human, half Cylon wonder child. " You passed the test, Lt. Gaeta.."
" I want to see the test results," Gaeta said sternly.
" Well, if you insist…" Baltar stepped back towards his records. The only odd thing about Gaeta's test results was the fact that he had run the test five times. He had passed every single one. Baltar had been irritated at the waste of time, but when Six dropped hints the way she did, it was better to follow through.
" He's suspicious of you," Six said as she followed him over to the records. " He's realized that everyone passes the test and thinks you covered it up. He thinks he might be a Cylon and that you lied about it." She chuckled. " He knows you too well, Gauis."
" Yes well…" Baltar said softly.
Much to his surprise, Gaeta pulled out a gun from his uniform. He pointed it at Baltar. "Stop talking to her, and get me the results."
Baltar put his hands up. " What are you doing?" He could see the woman beside Gaeta (Dee?Dana?) start with surprise as well. Six leaned up beside him, her expression curious.
" I'm pointed a gun at you in hopes you'll focus on the job at hand and not on your companion." Gaeta used his other hand to point directly at Six. " I don't have time for you to confer with your pretty blonde friend on whether or not you're going to help me. Now get me what I asked for and we'll leave."
" You see… her?" Baltar felt the bottom drop out of his neat little world on the Galactica. If Gaeta could see her… then the test results might be pointless.
" Of course I do. Are you going to get the test results or do I have to tie you up and tear the lab apart?" Gaeta's voice was tinged with impatience and anger. " I don't have time to frak around."
"Better give him what he wants," Six cooed in his ear. " God's plan for you does not involve getting shot in this lab. The results are right by your hand, Gauis."
He grabbed at the test results blindly and thrust them at Gaeta's outstretched hand, ever mindful of the fact that Gaeta was still pointing the gun directly at him. Gaeta handed the results to the woman, his eyes never leaving Baltar's.
"Read those for me, Dee." Gaeta said, his voice suddenly pleasant.
She took the papers. " You're not a Cylon, Felix." She looked at the gun nervously. "Maybe you shouldn't be pointing a gun at Dr. Baltar." She wasn't liking the situation at all, Baltar realized. That might be useful.
" There's really no need for violence, Mr. Gaeta. I'm sure we can discuss this rationally." Six chuckled at that, but he ignored her. It was concerning that Gaeta knew about her, more concerning than she seemed to realize. It was all well and good that Gaeta was apparently having a psychotic episode because that would make him that much easier to discredit, but that assumed he got out of the lab alive.
" Did I pass both tests?" Gaeta asked calmly. " The first one and the more refined one?"
Dee looked through the papers. " You passed all five times." She thumbed through the paperwork and then looked at Baltar suspiciously. " He tested you three more times just in the last two weeks."
Gaeta's eyes seemed to flash as Baltar watched. " You tested my blood multiple times within the last two weeks? You were suspicious of me." His hand clenched around the gun. Baltar saw the woman tense beside him.
"Better say something," Six purred as she leaned over his shoulder. " I think you may have offended him."
" I tested your blood," Baltar said firmly, thinking very quickly, " Because you have been acting very oddly lately. I was concerned… because you're very highly placed in the command structure and you have been spending a lot of time with our Cylon prisoner." It was true, in a way. He had been more worried about the hints that Six had dropped and how did Gaeta know about her a voice in his head yammered. The important thing was to get him out of the lab and then immediately get to the commander. Gaeta had to be discredited before he figured out any more of Baltar's culpability in the destruction of the colonies.
" Five times…" Gaeta seemed somewhat off put by that.
" But you passed all of them," Dee said reassuringly, her eyes still on the gun. " So why don't we go talk to Sharon? Remember? You needed to talk with her to figure out why the virus didn't work the last time." Her tone was almost cajoling.
" Yes, of course," Gaeta said to her. " But we'll need to tie him up. He'll run to the commander as soon as we're gone, otherwise."
" What?" Baltar cried.
Six laughed. " He's more clever than I realized. He certainly knows you well, Gauis."
Dee was hesitant, he could see that. But she did start grabbing the electrical cords that plugged the various devices in the lab into the ship's energy supply. " Why don't you sit down, Dr. Baltar? It will make this a little easier."
He did sit down, and she began to thoroughly tie him to the chair. " You know he's lost his mind," he whispered to her urgently as she bent over to tighten his bonds.
" That makes two of you," she whispered back, " and tying you up doesn't hurt you at all. I have orders from the commander to do whatever it takes to get a working anti-Cylon virus. If that means tying you up in your lab, then fine." She stood up. " All set, sir."
Gaeta lowered the gun and neatly tucked it behind his back. "Lets go then." The two of them left without another word.
" Well this is just lovely, just frakking lovely!" Baltar shouted at the closed door.
" God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform," Six said as she knelt down in front of the chair. She tugged at his pants. " Now where were we?"