It was surprising how easy it could be to take the Heavy Raider off Galactica. Lee charmed the comms officer on duty into thinking they were scheduled to test the autopilot, and he was immediately given clearance to launch. Kara was silently glad that Petty Officer Dualla was stuck on Cloud Nine. She couldn't take hearing Lee flirt with her even if he was making this huge gesture of going to a enemy-infested planet for Kara's sake. It wasn't until this past month that she even realized she had this horrible jealous streak.
She was happy to not be around for the fallout after they made their FTL jump. The comms officer probably got thrown into the brig by default. She would have to figure out who had been on call and apologize when their mission was complete.
The sequence of FTL jumps from the Fleet's current position to Caprica was uneventful. Neither she nor Lee said a word. They were both being weighed down by the consequences of their actions. Kara really hated that her impulsivity had seemingly rubbed off on Lee. It wouldn't do him any good in the long run.
Lee took charge the second they touched the Heavy Raider down in front of the Delphi Museum of Colonial History. His gun was drawn, and they were slowly moving up the outer stairs within a minute of landing. Kara couldn't help but think Lee was made for this stealthy crap.
They were stalking through the long-empty corridors when Lee finally spoke. "This place gives me the creeps."
"Then let's get this artifact and get out of here," Kara said, picking up the pace.
"Something you're in a rush to do?"
Kara smirked. "I heard a rumor that they're going to start giving pilots passes to Cloud Nine now that it's open for business. I figured I might go there and pick up someone to help me get rid of this strange craving I've been having since last night."
Lee paused to narrow his eyes at her. "You are not allowed off shift unless I have the same pass you do," he growled.
"Agreed." Kara smiled to herself as they continued on. If she wasn't mistaken, they had just entered into a committed relationship with a tease and a threat.
It only took them a few minutes to find the correct room and display case in the museum, prompting Kara to ask if Lee had ever been here before. "Only when I was little."
Kara felt his arms come around her waist as he boosted her up into the blasted-out case. "Then how the frak did you get us here so fast?"
"When your call sign is Apollo, you get plenty of jokes from your fellow Capricans about your Arrow being in a Museum. My first CAG's call sign was Hera, a product of her husband being the guy who helped design the Mark VII."
"A veritable god among men," Kara said, reciting the headline that had been blasted across the papers for weeks. The creation of the Mark VII had been huge news only a few months ago. She pulled the arrow out of the large white hand-shaped holder and laughed nervously when nothing exploded. She wouldn't have been surprised if the Cylons had this thing booby-trapped.
Lee reached out to take the Arrow from her and then wrapped his hands around her waist to help her down. If her body happened to slowly slide along the length of his as she reached the ground, it was a complete accident. Still holding her tight, he gave a small nod towards the plaque on the wall.
"I don't get it," she said.
"The crew loved the fact that the Arrow of Apollo was in the center of the Room of Hera." Kara's eyes went wide as she realized the massive sexual undertones of that joke. Lee shook his head. "It would take a lot to make me forget the location of this artifact."
Kara reached out to take the Arrow back from him. "I'm glad you forced your way onto this little field trip."
Lee was about to respond when a voice cut him off. "Me, too." Still wrapped up in each other's arms, Lee and Kara turned to stare at the tall, blond woman standing next to the Arrow's empty case. "We've been waiting for you."
Kara didn't know how exactly it started, but before she could even blink, the woman had yanked her out of Lee's arms by her neck and thrown her against the nearest wall. Her vision went white as she slumped to the ground.
Lee fought the desperate urge to rush to Kara's side. She wasn't even moving. He would have done just that if it wouldn't leave him open to attack. He had to be rational about this. Raising his sidearm, Lee started firing on the Cylon woman. It hadn't taken him long to recognize her. She had been in the heart of Galactica a few weeks early posing as Shelley Godfrey, a system analyst who had information on Gaius Baltar.
Lee's shots kept landing two inches too wide as the Cylon ran at an impossible speed. He didn't realize she was herding him in until it was too late. Her body connected with his, and his gun went flying. Lee reacted the only way he could think of. He grabbed her arms and pulled her down with him, using his body to crush the female machine to the ground. The impact barely affected her, and he could taste blood as her fist connected with his jaw.
Lee knew he had a tough fight ahead of him, and he needed to focus. The problem was he couldn't tear his mind away from Kara. She still hadn't moved.
The Cylon was taunting him under her breath as she connected with blow upon blow. He couldn't get his bearings to stop her. "Welcome back to Caprica, Captain. Like what we've done with the place?"
Lee grinned. "You toasters can live anywhere, can't you?" Knowing the way she had him pinned to the ground left no room for him to move, he spit in her face.
The Cylon didn't hesitate. She rammed her head into him full force, and he lost consciousness for a brief second. It was enough for the machine to lift him off the ground and throw him into a nearby display. The pedestal of the statue connected with the middle of his back, and for a split second, Lee wondered if this would be the last time he'd ever walk. Then the pain flooded his senses, and he almost wished he had broken his back.
"Come on, Apollo." Lee heard her taunts as she kicked him hard in the ribs. Yeah, those were definitely broken. "Got anything left?"
There was a slight pain in Kara's chest as she regained consciousness, and she swore to the gods she never thought she'd feel this kind of pain again. It was too familiar. The image of the Cylon in front of her merged with her memories of her mother. Anger she thought long gone flared up inside of her. As she watched the machine kick Lee in the head, the anger only grew.
Kara was having trouble finding the strength to stand as she heard the Cylon continue to taunt. "If this is the best humanity can offer in a god, it is no wonder you're dying." Kara watched a large gash on Lee's forehead start to bleed, and it reminded her of her fifth birthday. She still had scars from that one.
"I was told to keep you alive, but just between you and I, I don't see the benefit of that. Do you want to die, Apollo?" The Cylon leaned in to hear his answer before straightening up. "That's what I thought you would say." She kicked him one final time, and Kara tried to hold the tears back as she watched Lee stop fighting back.
This had all gone horribly wrong, and it was all because of her. Lee was only on this planet because she said yes to this stupid, fraking mission of the President's. He wouldn't have done this for any other pilot.
Reminding herself that she had survived things a lot worse than this, Kara shoved the pain aside and pulled herself to her feet. She was no longer a scared little child. She was Kara Thrace, the best fraking pyramid player in the universe. She was Starbuck, the Colonial pilot who takes shit from no one. Most of all, she was a woman, a woman who just wanted to have one more moment with the man currently fighting to stay alive.
Her eyes scanned the area, finally coming up with the opening she needed.
"Don't think I don't see you, Starbuck!" The Cylon warned, turning to smile at her. Kara could feel Lee watching her, and she decided that was a good thing. He would want to know that this was her choice. She would give up her life to save him.
"You're not going to make it out of this one alive," the Cylon said. Without turning away from Kara's eyes, she kicked Lee in the gut again.
"Who said anything about that?" Kara said.
She waited until she saw a look of confusion come over the Cylon before letting loose a primal scream. Her shoulder connected with the Cylon's midsection, and Kara did her best to hang onto the momentum. Lee, having finally gotten the break he needed, could only watch as they went flying into the large hole created by the nuclear devastation. Kara heard his voice screaming her name as she hit bottom. Relief passed through her as she realized he would make it through this one even if she didn't, and then blackness took over.