Lee pulled his jacket on as he stepped into the hangar bay. When Bauer, Tyrol, and Barclay caught sight of him, they all leaped to their feet and threw off salutes. He wasn't surprised to see them shifting back into military protocol. Eve had told him she'd give him until the morning and that was it. They knew what was coming, and they knew that they didn't need Lee to lead them through it. They needed Commander Adama. They needed Apollo.

"Sir," Tyrol said, stepping forward. "We're actually going to do this?"

Lee was surprised at the question, but at the same time, he wasn't shocked to hear it. His eyes shifted to where Eve sat by herself on the other side of the room. She looked worried. "Do you think she's going to stab us in the back?" Lee asked. He had already come to a decision on this topic, but regardless of how much he trusted Eve, he couldn't be sure the others were at the same point.

Tyrol shook his head. "I trust her, sir. It's just… if this doesn't happen exactly right, then that's it. We're all dead."

"I know." Lee gave the Chief a smile. "Trust me, though. We're going to make it through this one." His smile widened as Eve got up to join the group. "Are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Lee nodded and let out a deep breath. "Thank you for doing this for us, Eve. I'll make sure my father knows what you've done when we get back home."

"Lee Adama, you sound awfully confident," Eve teased.

Lee saw the rest of his crew nodding their heads in agreement and had to fight back the urge to smile even wider.

"What is make you so fraking confident, sir?" Tyrol finally asked.

Lee heard a movement behind him, and his eyes lit up. He knew that sound. Turning, he smiled. "Her."

Kara stood in the hatchway, looking not one bit like she had just spent the past eight months holed up in a room away from everyone else. She was dressed in her military fatigues once more with her guns securely strapped to her waist. Her hair was the short cut Lee had first seen when she rescued him from Leoben. Her mouth was turned up in that trademark Starbuck grin.

"We are going to kick the Cylons' ass," Tyrol agreed as Lee's wide grin became contagious.

Kara smiled and walked over to the group. "Glad to hear I still have your confidence, Chief."

"Never lost it, Captain."

"Lee's told me the plan. For a we're all going to die anyway last ditch effort, it's pretty good." Kara turned to look at Eve. "Lee says you've been a good little toaster… I mean, soldier."

Lee turned to smile at Eve and had to hold back the urge to laugh. Confident, cocky Eve who never backed down on what she believed looked terrified. "Kara," he warned, turning to his best friend.

"Sorry." Kara smiled at the Cylon. "You don't have to be afraid of me, Eve. You've earned Lee's approval and respect, and that's all I need to know. He's a good judge of character…" Her mind flew to the few months after the Blackbird was blown up and how Lee had started acting. "…usually."

"So, we're really going to do this?" Barclay asked.

"Frak yeah we are," Kara said.

"Then what's the plan, sir?" Tyrol asked.

"Exactly what Eve laid out," Lee answered. "She's going to tap into our defense systems in the hopes of finding a connection to the Cylon mainframe. This place was abandoned for a few months before it became the base of the resistance. We're hoping the Cylons poked around a bit."

"They're curious beings. They were here," Eve reassured them.

Kara stared at her a moment before rolling her eyes. Lee had warned her this would be strange at first, but this was almost beyond her comprehension. She had no clue why she always ended up working with a renegade Cylon, but the way they spoke was really starting to creep her out. "Right. So Eve's going to do her Cylon mojo thing and get a message to the Old Man. Then we are going to run like hell."

"To where?" Tyrol asked.

Lee smiled. "To the last place the Cylons would think we would go."

Kara turned to Eve. "I need you to tell Sharon to have Admiral Adama send a Raptor to the only place his daughter ever felt truly at home on New Caprica."

"That's it?"

Kara turned to Lee and smiled. "That's it."

Lee's hand unconsciously rose to rub the shoulder that had his tattoo on it. He hoped to the gods his father remembered the conversation they had had about what Lee did on his two week vacation to New Caprica. He also hoped the Old Man was about to read between the lines and figure out what really happened during those two weeks.

"I want that panel cut off before Eve does her thing. We are making a clean getaway as soon as this shit is done."

Lee snapped back to attention as he realized Kara was still rattling off orders. Gods, it was good to have her back. He watched as Barclay and Chief started working on breaking open the welded hatch. Eve made her way to the defense system console and unscrewed the panel. Lee couldn't help but notice the way she looked at the screwdriver before nodding. An image of how exactly she would have to start the dialing in process popped into his head, and he flinched. Eve was willing to take on a lot of pain for them right now, and Lee hated the fact that there was nothing he could do or say to make that better.

"Do you think…" Lee and Kara both turned to see Bauer was still standing next to them. "Do you guys think anyone is really going to risk coming back for the six of us?"

Kara laid her hand on Bauer's shoulder and smiled. "That's the beauty of this plan, kid. We're sending a message straight to the Old Man. And not just any old message either. This one is screaming in his face that one of his children is alive. The only people who would send a message like we're having Eve do is Lee or I."

"But he'd be putting so many people in danger."

"Not really," Lee interjected. "If you think about it, my father is risking one, maybe two, pilots and a single Raptor. That is not that huge pf a loss if it might mean getting his son or his daughter back. We don't want or need the whole Fleet to come back here."

"Plus, if he lets the crew known that it's a mission to save either Lee or I, someone will volunteer," Kara added. "The Fleet has a soft spot for the two of us."

Bauer nodded. "So if this whole plan thing works, then we're saved?"

"Guaranteed. If Eve can get that message off to the right person, all we have to do is sit back and wait," Kara assured the young boy. "Now why don't you make yourself useful? I think the Chief needs some help with that panel."

Bauer gave a quick salute and hustled across the hangar. "Now that's some enthusiasm," Lee laughed.

"I train my soldiers well."

Lee reached out to take Kara's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "How are you doing?"

"I'm not going to lie and say this is easy. Almost every ounce of me wants to go running back to that bunkroom so I can just curl up and forget the world."

"And what about the rest of your ounces?"

The edge of Kara's mouth turned up in a wry grin. "The rest know how much you need me and would rather die than disappoint you."

Lee pulled Kara into his arms and kissed the top of her head. He really didn't know what to say to her. Words didn't seem to be able to cover it.

"I'm going to be okay," Kara stated. Her voice sounded shaky, and Lee wondered if she was asking or telling.

"You are," he reassured her. "Because when push comes to shove, you get the job done. Plus, when we're back on Galactica, I have some connections. I think I can work out a little vacation time for you."

Kara smiled. "Can the Commander of Pegasus come with me?"

"I don't know. You'll have to ask him when we get back."

Kara laughed and moved her hands around Lee's waist. "Do you think the Old Man will be happy to see me?"

Lee rolled his eyes. "I am not going to dignify that question with a response."

Still locked together, Kara and Lee turned to watch the other four work. It seemed like Tyrol, Barclay, and Bauer were already almost finished, and Eve was just standing still, staring at the open wires in front of her. The time was at hand.

"Lee?" Lee looked down at Kara and saw a vaguely familiar look of worry on her face. "There's something I need to know before we do this."

"Ask me anything," Lee replied.

"When you offered me a place as the CAG on Pegasus, were you joking?"

Lee stared at her for a moment as the memory of that day played through his mind. They had been outside the perimeter of the resistance's hideaway, checking to make sure the defense grid was still functioning. Kara asked him how the frak she was going to adjust to being in the military again, and Lee told her it wouldn't be that hard. She looked so afraid when she started talking about being in the air again after so long that Lee did the only thing he could think of to ease her mind. He told her that she had nothing to prove and that he was going to need a new CAG when they got back to the Fleet. He didn't want just any old person either. He wanted the best which meant that anytime she wanted it, the job of Pegasus CAG was hers. At the time, Kara had laughed at his offer. What Lee didn't realize was she must have thought he was joking.

"I was dead serious, Kara. I've been missing you since the moment I took the Commander position. My life isn't half as interesting when you're not in it. You say the word and I'll fight the Old Man to get you reassigned."

"I don't think you two should argue over me."

Lee smiled. "I meant a real fight, Kara I think it's going to take a sparring match between my dad and I to determine who gets to keep you."

"Gods, you two treat me like a toy or something."

"Not just any toy," Lee insisted. "You are my favorite toy."

Kara slapped him on the arm and was about to tell him that she was no one's toy when Eve's voice cut into their little interlude. "I'm ready to go."

Lee let go of Kara and looked over at the Chief. "The hatch?"

"It's open, Lee," the Chief said, standing up and stretching.

"Weapons?" Kara asked.

"We're carrying the last bit we have," Barclay said.

"Ammo is scarce, people," Kara reminded them. "If you decide to shoot something, hit it on the first shot or do not fire at all."

"What's the plan?" Tyrol asked, walking over to where the rest of the group stood.

"Eve is going to plug herself in and send a message," Lee explained. "Hopefully, we can get that to happen in under a minute. As soon as she's disconnected, we are out that door."

"Do not slow down. Do not look back," Kara warned. "We are going full steam until we hit the children's playground on the edge of the city. When we get there, we need to locate a place to bunker down until the Old Man sends the Raptor to get us. I'm thinking two weeks is a pretty good estimate, so we're going to need to make scarce for awhile after we get there."

"The playground, though?" Bauer said, rolling his eyes. "That's where you're going to tell the Admiral to look for us?"

"The Cylons will never see it coming," Lee insisted. "If they know we're on the run, they're going to expect us to head back to the clearing or into New Delphi where there might be more ammunition and rations. They won't look for us at the playground for at least a little while. Hopefully, that will be a little while too long."

"We're going to hide," Kara admitted, "and that's something I've never been proud to do, but it's what's going to keep us alive. This isn't about showing the Cylons that we're not going down without a fight and it isn't about proving that we're a superior force. It's about staying alive and ending this so we can finally rest."

Lee could see the others nodding in agreement, and he figured that was enough for the inspirational speech giving. "Are you ready, Eve?"

"Are you?" she spit back.

Lee smirked at her and then watched the plan go into motion.

Eve let out a small scream as she jabbed the screwdriver into the flat of her hand and dragged it up her forearm. The pain was written all over her face, but she didn't falter, not even for a second. She used the blood-stained screwdriver to slice the comm cable that controlled the defense system and jabbed one end straight into her wrist. Gritting her teeth, she feed the cable into her arm until it was over halfway up her forearm. Then her face went white and she sunk down to the ground.

Lee could hear her whispering something as she searched for the right mind in the network. He hoped to god that Sharon hadn't done something stupid like disconnecting herself from the whole.

Eve's eyes flew open after a minute, and she smiled. "Gotcha." Five seconds later, she was ripping the cord from her arm.

Lee helped her to her feet. He wrapped a shirt around the wound and guided her other hand to hold it into place. "Do not let up on that," he instructed. "You've just earned your passage to Pegasus, and I will not have it be in a body bag."

"Stop flirting and get your ass in gear, Adama!"

Lee turned to see Kara smirking at him from outside the open hatch. The rest of the group was already gone. "Eve?"

"They're going to be here within two minutes," she said. "We need to hurry."

Lee didn't need to be told twice. Kara helped get Eve out of the hatch without jarring her arm too much, and then the group was off and running.

They didn't slow down. They didn't look back.