A clicking sound that made his head pound woke him with a start. It took him a few moments to realize it was his own teeth chattering. Everything ached down to his bones and he was confused how he got here in this small room. He didn't remember when he passed out, only that there had been a sharp pain in his spine, then a burning. He had gritted his teeth to hold in a cry of pain. He didn't want Rene to hear his screams, and tried to move away from the sensation. The IL, the one he called Goldie, told him not to move, something about being permanently damaged. He couldn't help it. It burned so badly, he had to get away from the fire. He swore the IL sighed. It was the last thing he remembered before things went dark.

Now he found himself in a small room that could fit maybe two or three people. It was devoid of any features except smooth walls and a cold floor. He couldn't even see where the door might be but he suspected it was near the one item in the room, a flask of water, at least he hoped it was water as he was suddenly very thirsty.

Slowly he tried to get up from the floor. At first his muscles failed to follow his commands, but he knew he needed to move or he might not move again. He tried wiggling his toes first, pleased to see they were still in his boots, which, reassuringly, were still attached to the rest of him. The toes responded, and he worked his way up, testing all his muscles, like a preflight check on his viper. Not all systems were a go and he ended up crawling over to the flask. He took the precaution of sniffing it first to make sure it wasn't something like tylium or poison, but his thirst overrode his caution and he guzzled the water. It helped clear his head and he was able to attempt getting to his feet. He rubbed at his arms to get some feeling back into them and let his teeth chatter freely as he considered his options.

Surveying the room again, he located the crack in the wall that was probably the door. When pushed, there was no give and the crack was too small to get any purchase for his fingers to pry it open. His fingers ached from the cold. He still wore the hunting sweater, but it had holes in strange places, and the left sleeve had been cut away. As he rubbed his arms, he felt the round device the IL had inserted into his upper arm, a port of some kind with three wires with connectors trailing from the opening. He debated ripping it out, but he didn't know where those wires went and remembered one of the IL's mentioning something about the central nervous system. He chose to leave them alone for now. Once free, then he could get it out.

"One problem at a time, Bucko." He spoke to himself through chattering teeth, just to hear something other than the fan of the air refresher that was blowing freezing air right down his spine. He had found Cree on Arcta in a variation of this room, a cold cell where they had unceremoniously dumped the cadet when they were done with him, to save him for later use.

"So, the famous Lieutenant Starbuck, the best viper pilot the fleet has ever seen, meets his end in a small cell on his home world," he mused aloud as he shrugged. It seemed fair. He'd come full circle. His career began yahrens ago in a different small cell, arrested for "borrowing" a hover bike, the authorities catching him in a club gambling when he was underage, not to mention under the possession of alcohol and fumarellos. His court appointed protector had made him an offer, join the military when he graduated secondary school, or enjoy spending time locked up in small rooms. It had been an easy choice, freedom versus captivity. He'd made sure he excelled in his courses and since he had to join, he'd made sure it was on his terms applying to the Academy. He'd found freedom in the skies above Caprica.

He intended to make that choice again, freedom versus captivity. He had one tool at his disposal at the moment, his voice, and he chose to use it shouting loudly, "Hey get me out of here!" It ricocheted off the walls of the small room, almost shattering his pounding head.

"Okay, maybe not the best idea." He slid down the wall, cradling his head in his hands. "Apollo, what is taking you so damn long?" It was easier to gripe at his friend than to worry about what was happening to Rene. As his body began to shake from the cold, he began to worry about himself. The cold was seeping into his aching bones.

"Up, get up Starbuck!"

It was Apollo's voice, so reminiscent of the same motivation his friend gave him in his yahrens at the academy. How many times had Apollo, a notorious early riser, rolled him out of his bunk making sure he made it to classes and physical training on time? He muttered aloud the same thing he always did, "I was up late last night. You should have been there," but he still got to his feet, pacing and rubbing his arms to stay warm. He counted the time with his steps, four paces at a time, and tried to think of a way out of the cell.

"You were always good at thinking outside of the box, Bucko. All your instructors said so. You can do it now."

After over four hundred revolutions of his small room, without warning the door slid open. Before he could react, Rene was pushed in. He rushed towards her, clumsily catching her as he dropped to his knees with her sudden weight. "Thank the Lords!" he cried out in relief.

Needing to verify for himself that she was real and he wasn't beginning to hallucinate he pulled her to him. She held on, gripping his arm so tight he thought she might leave a bruise. He wrapped his arms around her as she whispered his name. He could feel the device in her arm, much like his own and he pulled her back to get a good look at her. She looked like hades, her face lined with pain, dark circles under eyes and far too pale. He hoped it was just the stark white walls washing out her color.

"Are you okay?" He searched her eyes, grateful when they met his.

She nodded weakly. "Yeah. Nothing permanent. I can take it. You okay?"

"Just another day at the office," he quipped, reaching to brush the hair from her eyes. Her gaze was distant, her eyes cloudy gray.

The blue caped IL had followed her into the room, and the door slid shut behind him. Starbuck cursed the missed opportunity, but realized he had another one in front of him if he could get his hands on the robot. He didn't exactly know what he could do without a weapon, but he was pretty sure he could tackle the thing to the ground and rip its head from that cable it called a neck.

The IL spoke, "Her life signs were growing weaker. You indicated you could assist in keeping her from expiring. I suggest you do that now."

He ignored the machine, whispering to Rene, "I'm going to get us out of here." He was glad he'd taken the time to learn how to communicate in sewer rat hand signs as he put his thoughts into the signs. At first, Rene shook her head to his plan, but he signed to her that it might be their only shot. They were together and he didn't think that was standard captive policy based on his experience with the cylons. She looked over her shoulder at the IL, then nodded to his plan.

"There are more kids." She answered him, not bothering to hide her words. "We didn't get them all." Inwardly he cursed. The fact that the kids had been rescued and hopefully were safe somewhere out there in the hills of Caprica had been the only good news in this situation. He was going to be using all the luck he had left in this life to get himself and Rene out of here. He wasn't sure what more he could do for anyone else but themselves. But he'd worry about that once they were out of this cell.

"One problem at a time," he signed to her as he helped her to her feet.

"Interesting," the IL spoke again, "her life signs are improving just with your mere presence. Elaborate for my studies."

"Well, you see, what I do is…" he said, into the all too eager face of the IL before leaping to grab the machine. He didn't even make it halfway across the small room when a shock went up his spine and he crumpled to the ground at the IL's wheeled feet. His muscles went slack like a puppet with its strings cut. He heard Rene call out his name, but he couldn't answer with more than a weak mumble as his body refused to respond to his commands.

"It would be advised that you not make any sudden movements towards me again." With a click and a whir, sensation came back into Starbuck's body with a jolt of pain. He groaned, as Rene's arms came around him. He let her help him sit up, reaching for her. He gazed at her briefly, registered the worry in her eyes and quickly decided if she could worry about him, she was okay for the moment. He focused on the robot, his only chance to get them out of here.

"What the frack do you want from us?" With Rene at his side, he felt a bit more invincible. He could do this, distract the machine and get that device from its hands.

"To learn how to improve the human race. We intend you no harm."

"Oh really, that's what that little show was about, no harm? Why you mother fracker, I'm going to…" He tried to lunge for the machine again, but a sudden shock of electricity locked up his muscles and clamped his jaw down tight.

"Cooperate and it will be far less painful."

His muscles relaxed and he slumped into Rene's arms breathing hard.

The IL seemed to ignore Starbuck's efforts, single minded in his purpose. "Your mate's vital signs were slowing. So now you need to show us what you do to keep her alive. We do not wish her to expire. Oh, and mating. We've never seen humans mate before. You intimated that it was helpful in improving life signs, so I suggest you mate."

"What the hades?" Starbuck wondered if the shock had done something to his hearing. "Are you fracking kidding me?"

"I am quite serious. You may begin now." The blue's lights sped up and Starbuck imagined crushing those lights under his boots, one by one. He debated making another attempt to tackle the machine, but his racing heart and the tingle in his hands told him that maybe he should wait a few moments before trying again.

He shifted his attention to Rene

"You okay? The baby?" She just nodded, but stopped trying to get him to his feet as she slid down the wall to sit beside him. Clumsily he lifted his arm, which seemed to way a ton, to put it around her shoulders and pull her close. Her face was ashen, her lips cracked and bleeding. "We're going to be okay. They are coming for us." He tried to reassure her, but she just nodded without emotion, her eyes sliding back to the IL.

"You may begin now."

"Begin what, baldy? Finding out how many metrons of wire is inside you?" Starbuck taunted. He held on tight to Rene, trying to ignore the device in her arm that was jabbing into his side. She felt solid in his hands, whole and alive, at least for now. He took a deep breath, tried not to let it out in a shudder as the IL rolled closer.

"You may begin now," the IL repeated impatiently.

"Go frack yourself."

The IL pressed a button and searing pain exploded in Starbuck's chest. His back arched as the pain radiated and skittered up his spine. He choked out a scream.

"No!" Rene called out. "Stop it! Please stop! Lords no!" Her voice faded to a raspy whisper. Her touch didn't make the pain any better as a fresh bolt of lightning shot up his back and stabbed him in the head. Suddenly it dissipated and he was left panting while fireworks exploded in his vision.

"Interesting." The IL commented. "She feels your pain. You do form a symbiotic bond like Balaam postulated. Interesting. I will need to explore this hypothesis further."

Adrenalin and anger surged in him. He growled as he launched himself at the robot again, this time reaching the machine despite the explosion that bloomed in his head and disconnected his brain from his body. He was able to get his hands on the cape of the IL before his muscles gave out and he dropped to his hands and knees. Once on the ground sensation returned again and he tried to get to his feet. He had to reach the machine, but he was too slow. The IL pressed another button and he flinched expecting the jolt of pain. He jerked again when he heard Rene's cry of pain behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see her body go rigid. She uttered a weak yelp as her body began to shake.

"Stop! Stop it!" He reached to swipe the device from the robot's hands, but the machine rolled back, pressing the button again and Rene shrieked an inhuman cry of agony. He was torn between trying to attack the IL and trying to reach for Rene as she writhed in pain. He couldn't help her, there was only one choice to make. "Make it stop. I'll do what you want! Just make it stop!"

He swore the machine smiled wider as he released the switch. Starbuck turned and reached for her, growling in frustration that he couldn't stop the machine from hurting her. She slumped in his arms and he could feel her heart beating fast. He pulled her even closer, stroking her hair, kissing her temple, wishing like hades he could make this all go away. "I'm sorry. So sorry."

He felt her grip his sweater as she buried her head in his chest. He felt the words she mumbled more than he heard them, but he knew what it was, a mantra, "Pain is temporary. It tells you that you are alive. Pain is temporary. It tells you…"

He lowered his head to hers, whispered in her ear, "You're okay. I've got you. It's going to be okay. We'll get out of here. I will get you out of here."

But his words were hollow, worse than the sweet nothings he had mumbled to a dozen or more women throughout his life. He couldn't pay the marker on those words.

"When she feels pain, you feel pain? Elaborate human." The IL commanded, rolling closer. Starbuck debated dropping Rene to resume his attack on the rolling calculator, but Rene jumped in his arms as the IL pushed the switch. There was a brief tightening of her muscles and then gone. Rene choked back a sob as her muscles went slack.

"Elaborate."

He shouted in desperation, "Yes! Yes, when you hurt her I feel it. I feel for her and her pain. It's called love, you mechanical maniac. It's why you will never beat us, you will never be superior. Without love you are nothing."

"Ah, I have heard this word before but we never understood it was what you call this parasitic symbiotic connection. Interesting. So, when you feel pleasure, does she feel pleasure as well?"

He held Rene tight, felt her tremble in his arms, but she kept mumbling the words and he briefly wondered who had taught that to her. Was it Dante, or Gage? Was it the destruction or the streets of Caprica? She had been through too much, they all had.

The IL repeated the question, his shiny metal appendage hovering menacingly over the switch in its claw.

Right now, all that mattered was staying together. If they took her from him, she would die. He ignored his own angry voice shouting in his head that he couldn't protect her, not here. He knew answering any questions was giving in to the enemy's demands. According to all the trainings on interrogation that it was a short slippery slope from this to giving out the coordinates of the fleet. Name, rating, number. He knew the drill, but this wasn't about him. It was about his baby.

"Yeah, I guess, sometimes. If she's happy, I'm happy. You got a switch for that? If you do, you could press it about now." He couldn't help but to look to the machine hopefully. Of course, the gumball dispenser didn't have a button for that. What use was pleasure to a machine?

"No, we have not perfected that technique yet like we have with the Delphinians. Our efforts have rendered the specimens imperfect and their brains damaged. We have not wanted to waste our human subjects on those studies yet. We are very excited about seeing the human gestation process but we will begin to work on other studies once the larva has been removed from the female."

Starbuck grimaced at the words. They wouldn't be staying that long, and if there was no rescue, he'd make sure death was quick and painless rather than see his child born in a cylon slave camp. He somehow knew Rene would want that too.

"In the meantime, we wish to witness the mating process. You may begin."

Starbuck didn't mean to chuckle, it was just so absurd. "It doesn't work like that. You can't just order it to happen. She needs to be stronger and…you're killing her. You don't get to see the baby grow if you kill her."

He shivered at the thought of his child in the hands of these monsters, and knew they had done the right thing to get the kids out of here. He just hoped that they had gotten away, but he had no way of knowing that. He didn't even know how long they had been here. Would there be some sign if his friends had been caught? He thought there would be and decided Boomer and Jake had to be safe. They would come back for them. He let that ember of hope burn in his heart as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. Reaching a hand to her face to turn her towards him. He found her lips with his.

"Have you begun?" The IL persisted. "Her life force is improving." The voice of the IL was different than Baltar's butler. If it had been Lucifer, he might have thought this was a joke, but this IL seemed seriously focused.

"No! You want her to live, you are going to have to let me help her!" She had stopped mumbling her mantra and was motionless in his arms. Her breaths were slow and her pulse fast. Starbuck took a deep breath, trying to figure out what he was going to do. Rene couldn't take much more. He was going to lose her if he didn't come up with something fast.

"We do not wish her to expire. I was unaware of any special requirements. From your medical manuals there is nothing you need. Begin now please, or should I be continuing my studies on how you feel her pain?"

"No! Your studies are complete on that!"

As if he needed a further demonstration that he did not control the situation here, the IL pushed the button again and Rene screamed into his chest before going still and quiet.

"Rene? You okay? Hey pretty lady..." He reached a cold numb finger under her chin to lift her face to his. Her eyes were deep blue in the starkness of their white room. He wanted to get lost in them and escape all this. "You okay?"

Her eyes were wide, frightened, and he speculated for a brief moment if this was the look that she gave Dante and his officers when they took what wasn't theirs to take. How could they find that look enticing? The look broke his heart.

She nodded weakly. "Just…just painful. Pain is temporary."

Starbuck nodded in acknowledgement of her words, before he looked to the cold walls and the emotionless machine. "We need to stay together. We need to buy more time. You can do that. You're tough, aren't you?" Her eyes were gazing into his, but they were still distant with the haze of pain.

"I'm getting us out of here." He repeated the phrase as if it would make it come true. Positive thinking had worked for him before. He didn't think she heard him or was hearing anything as the walls crashed down in her eyes and she escaped to somewhere in her mind where she could ride this out until the pain stopped.

Gently, he let her go, disentangling himself from her as he laid her on the floor.

"Our time is limited. There are other studies we must conduct. You have five centons to complete the process and then it is Balaam's turn to examine the specimen."

He took the anger and focused it like a laser as he launched himself across the room. He could almost hear the crowd roar in approval as he used one of his best triad moves and tackle the robot to the floor. The switch in the machine's hand dropped to the ground and Starbuck wrapped his hands around the cable the machine had for a neck, attempting to wrench the head from the body. He heard Rene's boots scrambling on the floor and he hoped to the Lords she was able to get to the switch. He couldn't get the head off, so he wrapped his fingers around it and bashed the dome against the wall. He heard a very satisfying crack, not caring if it was the bubble head or the wall. He bashed the robot against the wall again before a high pitched sound blared from the machine. He could only assume it was a distress call.

The door to the room slid open, and he expected a centurion with a rifle in its grip. He lunged to grab for the weapon, but there was no centurion. Instead a red caped IL rolled into the room. Before Starbuck could grab onto the machine, he hit the floor hard, his body unable to move as fire burned in every nerve. The pain matched the high pitched alarm and was so intense, his lungs seized and he could find not even draw air to scream in pain.

Rene's cry of "No!" ended abruptly as he registered her dropping beside him. The alarm ceased and Starbuck looked up helplessly as the red caped IL leaned over him. He couldn't even turn his head to see if Rene was alright. The paralysis had at least stopped being painful, but his body failed to respond to the klaxons screaming in his head.

"Sitri," the IL spoke harshly to the blue caped IL as he helped the machine back to an upright position. "You have been warned about interacting with the human specimens. You need repairs a nd why did you fail to inform me of these prisoners?"

Starbuck could only stare up at the machines, despite willing it with everything he had, his limbs just would not respond. The lights in the blue IL's dome were dimmer. He had accomplished something, what he did not know as he tried again to force his body to move.

"Well Moloch, you had other concerns and our studies have little interest to you."

The blue IL bowed to the other in deference. Starbuck's guess that the red caped IL was bad news was confirmed.

"Balaam informed me of their uniforms. Are you not aware that we have found signs of Colonial Warriors landing on the planet? No, of course not because you do not bother with the security reports. These are not your specimens. They are to be interrogated and their neocortexes examined immediately."

"But Moloch," the blue IL nearly whined as Starbuck slowly turned his head to Rene and one of his hands closed in an awkward fist. Clumsily he reached out to her, but she stared away from him, her face a mask of pain. "The female is gestating another human, and we know so little about the process. Surely there is no harm in letting us continue our studies. Our directives are not incompatible."

"If they provide the information required and survive the brain scans, we will discuss your experiments. Until then," Moloch gestured for a centurion to enter the room, which was now so crowded Starbuck wouldn't have been able to move even if he could. "The female's life force is weaker. Begin with her."

The IL must have flipped the switch for Rene to be able to move again. She shouted Starbuck's name reaching for him. He felt her hands pulling at him and tried with everything he had to hang on to her. He finally got his fingers to respond, clutching the cloth of her sweater for a brief moment before it slipped through his grasp. She was dragged away screaming his name.

The door slid shut, but the blue caped IL remained in his cell. The switch was thrown, and suddenly he could feel his body again. He ached in places he didn't know existed before.

"Well, we should not let this slow our studies. The female will return when Moloch has gained the information he desires. While I could not observe, you can still explain the mating process."

Starbuck slowly moved, sitting up and rubbing at his arms. The chill of the room on his bare skin felt like needles poking into him. "Go frack yourself."

"Your noncompliance will not help your mate. I will be forced to cause you pain and that will injure the female."

He was suddenly spent. His attack on the IL had accomplished nothing but Rene's removal to face a brain scan. She had told him of what she had endured before, plus Cree had tried to describe it for the other warriors. They both mentioned an itch inside your head as they sifted through your memories like sand. She had nothing to tell them before and they had still dug deeper. Now, she knew everything, and more. If they learned how to do what she could do, jumping from world to world, the universe was doomed. It had been hard keeping the coordinates for Earth from her. Now he was relieved to know he had.

"May I get to have that argument with her." He chuckled ruefully, wiping at his face wondering how much more he could take. Could he override the pain, power through it and take down this robot? Well he was going to find out. Stiffly he got to his feet and took a step towards the machine. The jolt of pain brought him to his hands and knees. He screamed in agony as he tried to crawl a step closer. A fresh wave of fire coursed up his body and he fell to the floor, panting hard when the pain receded. But he was closer. Slowly, he got to his feet again, took another step and found himself on the floor writhing.

"You are being very uncooperative," the IL stated, pressing the switch again.

"Frack me," he cursed but he couldn't think of anything else to do.

"Are you going to elaborate, or do you intend to continue to be difficult?"

He knew this wasn't helping Rene. For Sagan's sake it sure wasn't helping him, but difficult was his designation. He dragged himself across the floor getting closer to the IL. The machine sighed, and a fresh wave of pain crashed into his brain.

When he was able to breathe again, he found himself looking into the glowing eyes of the bubble head. "I will see that your mate lives through the interrogation. I will give you time to focus on your explanation of the mating process."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," he said, suddenly appreciating the cold floor. It soothed the lightning induced wild fire that had just torn through his body. A distant part of him realized that the IL had left the room, and he was now alone. "Dammit, Apollo. Where the frack are you?"