Oasis (Part Seven)
As Laura converses with two Doral models, she pretends to see someone she knows, waves and excuses herself from their company. She heads towards an open bay window which leads to a terrace, which leads out to the garden – if she can just get outside, she can walk around the Hall and hopefully reach the gates and return to the Human compound unobserved.
However, as she gets two-thirds of the way across the hall, a Leoben model catches hold of her arm and swings her about to join his group. Laura sees the time; a large clock hangs on the wall. It's been nearly thirty minutes since she was due at the barracks and as the seconds tick past, Laura knows her chances of escape are dwindling.
Several moments later, Wallace Grey moves beside her. He touches her arm and smiles at the human-Cylon's. "Can I borrow her?" he asks charmingly.
They nod and continue with their conversation.
Wally leads Laura away from them, smiling for outward appearances, and whispers. "What are you still doing here?"
Laura plays the game; she laughs as if he's said something funny and whispers in reply. "I didn't have a choice. Help get me to the terrace."
Subtly, Wally changes direction and guides her towards an open bay window, interjecting when anyone stops to talk to them or attempts to snatch Laura away to join their set.
They reach the window and Roslin stands next to the heavy velvet curtains, with her back to the garden. Over Grey's shoulder, she makes sure no one is watching them and then slips behind the curtains. Grey keeps a look out until the cylon-human models hovering nearby in the garden move further into the grounds.
"Clear," he whispers as he pretends to sip his drink.
"Thank you, Wally," Laura murmurs, then slips her legs out of the window and jumps. She drops five foot to the ground and slinks into the cover of darkness.
Laura sneaks along the length of the house, ducking when she passes windows. When she reaches the front of the hall, she steps onto the main path and walks casually to the gates, keeping her head down to avoid being recognised by any human-cylon models.
The centurion guards allow her to pass back into the human compound without fuss.
Laura decides not to risk collecting her belongings from her quarters, instead she heads straight for Engineering. At the gates of the engineering camp, she talks her way in, claiming that she has been granted permission to discuss the possibility of a field-trip for the children with Tyrol. They let her pass, suspecting no ulterior motive.
Laura makes her way to the engineering garrison. When she enters, it is empty and her heart sinks. She doesn't know whether to attempt the tunnels and mountain climb on her own – the ships may have all gone. It's that, or she can give-up now – accept that she has missed her chance and resign herself to whatever torturous punishment the Cylon's will devise for them. But Laura isn't one for giving-up. Lee is out there, somewhere, waiting for her. Laura expels her breath and pulls aside the workbench that hides the hatch to the tunnel.
Apollo lands the Raptor at the rendezvous point on New Caprica. The journey had been uneventful – they had slipped through Cylon space undetected.
Dee checks the clock. "We have fifty-three minutes till the next Cylon patrol of the area."
He nods; it isn't much time, but it's better than nothing.
They arms themselves, then head out down the mountainside, in the direction of the prison compound.
The entire time she's crawling through the tunnel, Laura can hear her laboured breathing – the oxygen is thin in the tunnels, dust is everywhere and visibility is almost nil. She feels the blood pulsating through her body, her heart hammers in her chest with fear and adrenaline. Her elbows scratch against the gravel of the tunnel floor, but she pushes on. There's still time, she repeats in her head, to spur herself on. She can make it, Lee will wait.
She reaches the end of the tunnel and pulls herself up into the burrow below the exit. Laura climbs the rope ladder to the top and clambers out of the ground, finding herself east of New Caprica Lake. A soothing breeze hits Roslin and she inhales deeply. Sweat cools against her skin and she gets to her feet and runs to the cover of the forest, stopping for a moment. She coughs, the dust of the tunnel affecting her lungs, but she has no time to waste, so Laura propels herself into the woods.
Roslin makes her way up the mountain side, she feels exhausted, but also invigorated – since the Cylon DNA has been introduced into her body, she is more agile. She carries on; determination and the need to see Lee drive her. It feels like a lifetime since she last held him in her arms.
Laura hears voices ahead of her. It could be Cylon Centurions patrolling the area, so she ducks into some bracken. As she peers through the undergrowth at two figures in the distance, descending the mountainside, Laura feels his pull and staring at the outline of the man approaching, she knows it's Lee, she feels it in her bones. She steps-out from her hiding place and moves towards him, her speed picking-up until she is running.
Lee glimpses sight of Laura moving up the hillside and starts running towards her, tears in his eyes as he nears her.
Their bodies impact, Laura leaps into his arms and he lifts her off her feet and into the safety of his embrace. Lee buries his face in her hair and she breathes-in the scent of him.
"I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again," she whispers against his neck.
Lee smiles and draws back from her, cupping her face. "Nothing could keep me from you," he vows and kisses her fervently.
When their lips part, Roslin catches sight of Dualla over Lee's shoulder.
"Come on, we have to move – twenty-three minutes till the next Cylon air patrol," Dee informs them, biting back the hurt – she finds it difficult to see them together.
Laura links hands with her husband and the three of them head up the hillside towards the Raptor.
As they pile into the ship, Roslin hears the distinctive thundering of centurion footsteps. Lee and Dualla take their positions in the cockpit and Laura sits in the back, strapping herself securely in. The Raptor takes to the air and Laura can't take her eyes off Lee; she feels as if she's dreaming… keeps expecting to awake, still in the compound, still divided from him.
All around the rendezvous point are armed centurion guards. They open fire, but too late, the Raptor is out of range. Lee begins the hazardous flight through Cylon occupied space. Cylon raiders swarm about them, pursing unremittingly and firing freely. Lee weaves out of the line-of-fire and Laura tightens her hold on the arm rests, extremely glad that she married a skilled pilot and not a teacher or politician.
They are hit, the ship shudders, a console explodes and for a split second fireworks fill the cabin. Laura shields her eyes. The Raptor dives to the side with the impact, but Lee manages to regain control.
More Cylon raiders are on their tail. Lee gathers speed – they're so close to open space, a little more altitude and he can FTL jump out of here. Apollo dodges more shots, but one direct hit to the hull shakes the ship and sends Dualla flying.
Laura tries to reach Dee but can't, the safety belt restricts her. Another blast hits them and Lee's console flashes warnings at him. Dualla goes flying across the deck and crashes into a console, hitting her head hard.
Finally, they reach open space and Lee FTL jumps to Galactica's co-ordinates.
Galactica looms in the foreground and Lee steers them to the hanger deck. Laura strikes the release button on her belt and rushes to Dualla's side. She turns the young woman over; her face is stained with blood. Roslin checks for a pulse and finds none.
"How is she?" Lee calls over his shoulder as he lands deftly.
"She's dead," Laura answers quietly.
Lee stares at his wife un-comprehendingly.
Laura stands and opens the hatch, she peers out into the hanger deck, shouting. "We need medical assistance!"
Lee stands beside Laura as the paramedic's work on Dee. He slips his arm around Laura's waist and pulls her close to him.
The Cylon's have yet to find them. The fleet are back to tracking Earth and a new resolution exists among them; no more quick-fixes. They have learnt the hard way.
Laura is officially re-instated as President – Adama puts on a big show and although the fleet is down to 27,392 survivors now, with Lee by her side, hope never leaves her.
Lee takes command of Pegasus again. In the event of Dualla's death, Starbuck becomes his XO. Thrace is happy to keep busy, she needs to take her mind off leaving Anders behind – he hadn't been amongst those selected for the escape because he was too sick. But he'd insisted she leave; there was no point in both of them dying on New Caprica.
Roslin and Lee live aboard The Pegasus. Laura runs her office from one of the cargo bays which has been renovated to suit her needs. Maya has taken over the schooling of the children, but Laura stops by the class at least once a week to see the children. It helps keep her sane - reminds her that the sacrifice of all those people in the work camps was not in vain.
Three months have passed since she escaped the compound and Laura still wakes in the middle of the night, covered in sweat and shaking with fear. Visions of the experiments haunt her. She's told Lee as much as she can, but she finds it difficult to speak about the experience. Apollo understands, so he holds her close, whispers that she's safe now and he'll never let any harm come to her again.
Every morning Laura wakes to Lee, kisses him and tells him how happy he's made her, because each day together could be their last. She lives as if it is her last, leaving nothing to chance.
She's started putting notes in his coat pocket again. Lee finds them when he's on duty or having a moment of respite. Her words touch him and he memorises them. Whenever he feels demoralized, he thinks of Laura's notes and battles on - he's never had anyone believe in him as much as she does.
They turn to each other for refuge and always find it. It prepares them for whatever hardships come their way, makes them stronger. And so it continues; life, surviving and the capacity to love. The Cylon's can't take that away, however many times they try.
The End