Chapter Nine
Adama knew there would be a fuss when he finally left. The raptor had been packed and prepared for days. He knew some of his crew wondered if he was backing out. It was all part of his plan. All he really needed was the Chief. When the time was right, he'd drug Lee. He'd been trained by Cottle himself on how to do the basic medical procedures that might be necessary. The chief would help him move the unconscious man to the raptor. Once the preflight was done, he'd call for his departure. No one would question his authorization and he'd be gone before anyone could get worked up.
They strapped Lee into the ECO station, arms and legs bound to the chair. Adama called in for the authorization, received it and the two men went about the final aspects of take off.
"Sir, may the lords be with you. I…" the chief was overwhelmed at what Adama was doing for his son.
Adama grasped the chief's shoulder and smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate it." He smiled and added. "Keep my ship in good shape until I get back."
Tyrol returned the smile. "I will, sir. I promise."
Adama stepped up the ramp into the ship.
It would have worked, had Kara not suspected as much. She watched the admiral like a hawk. She fully intended to be one step ahead of him, going so far as to get the same medical training. Had Adama known this, it wouldn't have been a big surprise when she decked her commanding officer as he stepped into the raptor after the preflight inspection. Once he and the chief had secured Lee inside, she slipped in and waited. It had been easy.
She pulled his limp form from the ship and stuffed a note into his pocket. She glanced up at Tyrol. "You might not want to be here when he wakes up."
He made no move to stop her. He acknowledged her recommendation with a smile and stepped back. "Good hunting, sir." He called, as she closed the hatch.
The raptor had cleared Galactica when Adama came around. The chief was supporting his shoulder. Adama turned his head and glared at the man. "You let her go?"
He didn't expect an answer. He pulled himself to his feet and considered ordering the CAP to disable her, but he noticed the white paper sticking out of his jacket. He pulled it out, read its content and sighed. He said nothing more to the chief. He simply left the deck. He ran to the observation deck and scanned the horizon to see if she'd really gone already. She had. "Bring him back, Starbuck. Bring him back." He whispered the command to cold space, knowing she would hear it.
BSG
Kara didn't remember going through this many jumps in one shot in all her career. It was draining. Each time she jumped and reappeared, she held her breath wondering if Cylons would be present. The jumps were made more stressful by Thirteen's continual complaining. Since waking, he'd done nothing but argue and complain. If she hadn't heard the chill to the voice, she might have been able to assume it was Lee toying with her. Thirteen had become the master at trickery. He tapped into Lee's memories and attitudes and used them against the humans.
In a way, she didn't blame him. They'd been cooped up in the ever-shrinking raptor for far too long. She considered a display of sympathy, letting him get up and stretch his legs. Before she could act, he mouthed off about the incident in the shower and she tossed the idea aside. Instead, she forced an aspirin down his throat.
"Swallow damn it! You don't want to get blood clots from not moving do you?" When he refused, she rubbed at his throat, forcing him to swallow.
Returning to the pilot's chair, she muttered and cursed at him. "stupid frakkin'… thinks he's a superior Cylon… doesn't even know to swallow… wants to die strapped to a chair rather than get there and attempt to escape. Jeesh… every human would know that… what an idiot."
Several jumps and a nap later, the raptor arrived at the storm cloud known as Ragnar. She had to wonder now, if some Admiral had known about the cylon reaction to the cloud. Is that why they located the station there? As she piloted the raptor into the midst, she whispered her prayers. "Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer. Be with your son and daughter today as we enter this mess… Make sure there's no Cylons here or coming soon… and destroy the frakking thing inside your son, Apollo, quickly."
Thirteen heard her prayer. "And you think I'm the idiot?"
BSG
Kara had studied the plans of Ragnar Anchorage. She docked at an obscure access hatch and combed the station for any sign of cylon activity. It was a big place. She'd secured a decent portion of it, before settling on the place she and 'Thirteen' would call home for as long as necessary.
She unloaded supplies and arranged camp before she came for her prisoner. She was surprised to find Lee for a fleeting moment on one trip. She was tempted to give in to the pale, blue eyes, but knowing it could be a ruse, she ignored him.
When she was finally ready to move Thirteen, she took out the tranquilizer gun which would become her most trusted companion. She held it to his neck. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It all depends on how badly you'd like to stretch those utterly human legs of yours." She released the safety to emphasize her point.
He glared at her. "I'll walk. I have all the time in the world to kill you." He paused, as if a thought just occurred to him. "I suppose you'd like to frak first?"
She ignored his threat and released one of his legs and then his left arm. "You can do the rest."
He opened his mouth to argue, but she merely pushed the gun deeper into his neck.
He moved to free his right hand first, but she corrected him, again pushing the gun into his neck. "Eh Eh Eh! I don't think so. The foot first." She wanted his hands free for as short a time as possible.
If Thirteen was thinking about an attack, he gave no indication. Use cautiously used a foot to turn the chair. Before trying to stand, he stretched his arms and flexed his fingers.
Kara slapped him alongside the back of the head. "Quit frakking around."
His head snapped at her. "I've been strapped to this chair the whole time. Excuse me if I make sure everything still works."
She sneered at him. "You're a mighty Cylon. Why wouldn't it all work?"
He shuffled his arms a bit more and then moved to his legs. He winced at the small movements.
Kara caught it. "Aw, the poor Cylon has aches and pains like a pathetic human?" She shoved at his shoulder.
Thirteen growled at her, sounding like an angry Adama himself. He pushed off the chair and pain screamed through his body. Yelping, he fell to the deck. Cramps spread up from his feet to his hips. He continued to groan at the pain, while being pushed forward by Kara's booted foot.
Thirteen crawled to his short lived freedom. His legs refused to hold him and Kara offered no assistance. As he dragged himself into their new home, he almost betrayed his disbelief. There before him, was a small, metal cage. It was barely large enough for him to stand and walk a few steps in either direction. On the ground was a rubber pad and one end seemed to open as a door.
"Like your new home? You didn't think you were going to get to roam free, did you?" Kara nudged him to the end. She told herself over and over that this was Thirteen, not Lee. She could humiliate the Cylon.
Once inside, Thirteen rubbed at his aching limbs. Every few minutes he lashed out at the side of the cage, testing its strength. "This is BARBARIC! You can't expect me to live like this!" He roared, pressing himself up to the bars and reaching through with both hands.
Kara glared at him. "No. I don't expect you to live like this. I want you to DIE!"
Thirteen pulled back, suddenly calm. "I promise you. If I die, I take him with me. I've told you people over and over. I will willingly die, but I'll take him with me."
Kara simply smiled. "I don't think so."
BSG
Days passed. Kara went for many hours exploring different areas of the station. If she stumbled across supplies she thought the fleet could use, she noted it and moved what she could to a common area. The fleet hadn't had time to claim more than armaments.
She refused to doubt the goal of the mission, even though Thirteen showed no sign of distress from the storm's radiation. He was even well enough to resume tormenting tactics. He continually pounded an arm, leg or his head against the cage. He also refused to eat.
"Suit yourself. I know Cylons can go without food and water longer than a human can, but Lee's body is human. Like it or not, your body is human. You will succeed in killing yourself." Kara rationed, as she warmed a field dinner.
Thirteen's eyes narrowed on her. "Isn't that the goal?"
She glared back at him, a small smile forming on her lips. "Only if you're conceding the battle to Lee."
"To Lee? What will you give me to let him live?" Thirteen asked, suddenly feeling very confident.
Kara laughed at the offer. "What would you possibly have to offer me?"
He knelt on the pad, leaned forward and grabbed the bars. "I'll let him come forward…"
She cut him off. "Ha. Very funny. No thanks. A five minute visit with Lee is not the goal. We're here to rid him of you forever."
"You cut me off." He released the bars and sat back on his haunches. "I was going to say, I'll let Lee control the body, forever."
Kara stared stunned for a moment, then laughed. "Yeah, that's gonna happen. I totally trust you to keep that deal."
"Why doubt me?" he demanded.
"Why not? What value is there for me in death? If I let Lee have control, we both live."
She glared at him. "I'm not an idiot. You could retake control at any moment. NO. This ends here." She mumbled afterward, "Soon I hope."
BSG
Kara was beginning to wonder how long the Leoben model had been here when the Galactica found him. She was beginning to doubt the theory when on the fifth day, Thirteen began to sweat uncontrollably. She grinned at him. "It's working."
"Don't kid yourself. I will take Lee with me." From that promise, he refused water as well.
Kara knew it was now a race against the clock. A human could go three or four days at best without water. She prayed to the gods this would end soon.
Later that evening she watched Lee's body toss restlessly on the mat. Sweat poured off him and he trembled in his sleep. She approached him slowly and reached out to grab his arm. She froze, waiting to see if he woke. When nothing changed, she moved as quickly as she could in the awkward situation and extracted a blood sample. She had to assure herself that this was working.
She waited for the results and squealed with delight when the testing revealed a decrease in the pathogen in his blood. It was the news she needed to keep going. The happiness however, resulted in waking him.
"Is it better?"
Kara refused to look right away. She was absorbing the sound of Lee's voice. She wasn't naïve enough to think it was him. She'd been tricked before. It wouldn't happen again. She didn't want to miss an opportunity to enjoy the voice though. "Yep, you're dying Thirteen." She spun around to face him. The color of his eyes was dull and the eyes themselves seemed sunken into his face.
He swallowed. "Can I have some water?"
Her eyes narrowed. "I thought you weren't taking any?" She gloated at his request.
Lee tried licking his lips, but it failed him. "He might have. I'm thirsty."
Kara's hard edge shattered. "Lee?" She moved quickly to the cage and pulled the lid off the canteen. "Here, drink." She held his head lightly as he gulped. "Not so fast. There's plenty."
He coughed and rolled onto his side. "Maybe, but who knows when I'll get back. He may kill me before then."
"DON'T FRAKKING SAY THAT!" She roared at him. Lee flinched and she calmed. "This is the big one Lee. You've got to keep fighting him from within." She smiled and held the side of his face. "I've got him just where I want him out here."
He touched her hand, took another drink and lay back on the mat. "No repeats."
"Huh?"
He stroked her finger gently. "I didn't think you'd want a repeat of the shower?" Lee's voice grew colder. "Unless you want it? Do you?" Thirteen sat up. "Open that gate and your dreams can come true. You can frak Lee Adama's brains out. Isn't that why you brought him here? One last frak before he dies?"
Kara was stunned into silence. Her fury at being duped again claimed her voice.
Thirteen laughed. "I should have said, one first frak before death. What do you say, Starbuck? Want a ride?"
She glared at him and backed away. "You're a sick frak."
"You'll never know. You must know that." He continued, focusing on her.
She stammered. "Know what?"
"How much was him and how much was me? It's killing you isn't it? The shower? Just now? Was any part of it Lee Adama wanting you or was it all a cylon trick?"
She said nothing. She simply shook her head and backed away. Once she'd left the area, she broke into an all out run. Feet pounding the deck were all that could be heard. When her lungs would take her no further, she bent in half and let out a powerful scream. The flow of hot tears mingled with the sweat she'd worked up and she cried until her body fell limply to the deck.
BSG
Being an admiral, in command of an entire fleet of vessels, constantly on the run from the enemy seldom allowed time for enjoying perks. At most times, it wasn't an issue for Bill Adama. Since the departure of his family, he pulled rank nightly. He didn't hear Laura Roslin enter the observation deck.
"I'm told you empty this place out nightly. I assume you want to be alone, but I thought I'd interrupt this once." She waited for him to turn and acknowledge her. He finally did so. "Can I also assume we haven't heard anything?"
"If my son was home, I wouldn't be here." He grumbled quietly.
"No, I suppose not. It should be soon though." She offered optimistically.
"Depending on how soon they can find us." He stated flatly. There was a time he felt Laura Roslin was a resource for his son, someone who wanted the best for him, as he did. He couldn't help but feel betrayed by her since this began. She had wanted to him say his son should die. Even Tigh hadn't done that.
As if she read his mind, she spoke candidly. "I know you don't believe I want this to work, but I do. I do care about him."
"It saves your image. You don't have to flush him out an airlock."
She was stunned. Her face paled. "I… I…" She stumbled backward.
Her distress alarmed Adama and he thought about what he'd just said. "I'm sorry. That wasn't fair. I… I was speaking…" He couldn't finish his thought.
"As a father. I'd want no less. You've earned that." She paused, scanned the space field at his side for a few moments then stepped back. "I'll leave you." She was almost at the door when another thought compelled her to speak. She didn't return to him, she raised her voice. "For what it's worth, I do wish you could have been the one to take him. I wish it had been possible."
"The Cylons have made a lot of things impossible." He turned to face her, sending a message of truce between them.