So here we go, it is the dreaded chapter eight! Huge thank you to my beta Ruth who has sat through six versions of this and a complete change in direction!
I really hope you enjoy this!
Chapter Eight - And the fifth, still in shadow, will claw toward the light, hungering for redemption that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering.
"Bill, Bill - Admiral," the voice whispered at the fringes of his consciousness.
"Admiral, for frak sake go and lie down in your own rack," Cottle's hand shook Adama to alertness as his voice raised in volume slightly.
Bill lifted his head, looking round dazed to find himself in life stations. As he looked to his left, he saw Laura asleep. Looking to his right, his vision hit upon a grumpy looking Jack Cottle.
"What?" Bill asked groggily, running a hand down his face trying to rub some of the sleep from it.
"Go and sleep in your own bed, Admiral," Jack said quietly not wanting to wake the President.
"How long have I been here?"
"I'm not your personal time keeper, you know," he replied sticking a cigarette in his mouth, "About two hours I'd say, more than long enough to be sitting on a chair with your head resting on the edge of one of my beds at your age, frankly Admiral, I don't need you as a patient as well."
Adama stood, ignoring Jack's derisory words and looked down upon the sleeping woman on the bed. She looked so peaceful asleep like this, there was no sign of the debilitating malaise that threatened their very happiness together. His hand reached out as if it had a mind of its own and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
Jack cleared his throat behind him, to remind him of his presence.
"Can you see any way out of this Jack?" Adama said his vice flat, without turning away from Laura.
When no answer came immediately Bill turned round to face the doctor, "Jack?"
"Right now," Cottle said reluctantly, "no, but with some study I hope it can be cured."
"Hope...and what do we do until that hopeful cure? I can't leave them like this." He turned suddenly away from the sleeping President and started walking out, as he drew level with Jack he turned to him and said, "I have to let them go," before striding out and leaving Jack unable to ask the Admiral just what he meant by that statement.
The Admiral's forceful step as he thundered through the corridors of Galactica, belied the fact that the only sleep he had recently had, was obtained by being propped up by a bed - as he sat in life stations.
The crew of Galactica knew the signs, and stayed clear of the Old Man. His shoulders were set, hands fisted, his face grim, the Admiral was angry and his crew felt it as the very floor shook in his wake. They didn't know the cause and wouldn't dare to ask, the answer... was the most basic and fundamental of things, William Adama was angry, at life. He had been dealt the most ridiculous final set of cards, he was not blinded by that anger though and he flatly refused to fold.
It was this tense and closed off Admiral that appeared in CIC a few minutes later.
A situation report was quickly offered and acknowledged by the stony-faced Admiral. He stood in the centre looking round at the faces, trying to calm his raging thoughts but all he could see were faces that didn't belong there, the people that could really calm the Admiral, were all in Cottle's sickbay one way or another. Gaeta was a familiar face and as he emerged onto the command centre floor he carried his usual assortments of clipboards and folders, bringing with him a sense of continuity. He walked directly up to the Admiral, and said quietly, "Sir, the Vice President asked me to look into a matter for you," Gaeta waited for some response before continuing. The Admiral steered Felix away to a quiet corner before asking him to elaborate.
"Right Sir, I rang around the various sickbays in the fleet and about half way through my list I came across a patient that was displaying the relevant symptoms."
"Go on Mr Gaeta, what else did you find out?" The Admiral inquired.
"There wasn't a great deal of information available, the doctors don't know what is wrong with her but she is stable.
"Her? It's a woman?"
"Yes, Sir," Gaeta flicked through some of the papers on his clip board. "I have the lady's name listed as Mrs A. Jameson, her husband Alan brought her in just after the fleet jumped into this area."
Adama frowned, "Does she have any connection to Galactica or Colonial One?"
"Not that, I know of sir," Felix swallowed, "ah I took the liberty of having the lady transported here, was that alright, Sir?"
The Admiral stared at the console in front of him deep in thought, before turning back to the young Felix Gaeta, "that's fine," Adama grasped Gaeta's arm softly and said, "thank you Felix you have done a outstanding job, do we know when this lady will arrive?"
"It shouldn't be long Sir, last time I spoke to the Captain of the Demetrius they were nearly prepared to move her."
"Thank you," Bill said before moving back to the main console. He felt rather puzzled by this latest turn of events - he hadn't expected a woman with no obvious connection to Galactica or Laura's ship to be the final Cylon. They needed to see her - maybe that would shed some light on proceedings.
The ship docked and the Admiral was informed that the patient was being taken straight to life stations. Before leaving he stopped at Gaeta's station and sighed, "Put a call through to the Vice President for me, get him to join me down there."
As the Admiral stepped back into life stations he took a deep breath, he was getting very tired of this place. There was some obvious movement and voices could be heard from around a closed off curtain at the far end of the room. Adama decided to wait it out and stood watching the area for signs of anyone coming out.
As the doors opened behind him a ruffled and tired looking Tom Zarek stepped in, it looked very much as if Gaeta's call had just woken him up. Even now Bill couldn't help the petty amusement that ran through him - but when he spoke his words were grim.
"Gaeta, has apparently found our missing Cylon," he said indicating to the closed off curtain.
"Who?" Zarek asked looking in the same direction as Adama.
The Admiral turned to face him and lowed his voice, "I have no idea, her name is Jameson, she was on the Demetrius, middle aged and has no obvious connections to this ship or Laura's."
It was Zarek's turn to frown, "but that makes no sense."
Adama shrugged his shoulders and muttered, "I'm not sure any of this does."
Angry voices could be heard, as the phone began to ring in the background and the noise of a curtain being pulled violently opened and closed again, stopped any more exchanges. A nurse ran across and picked up the phone, as a voice bellowed across the room making both Adama and Zarek turn quickly in that direction.
"Admiral Adama," the man spat as he came out of the curtained off area, "I might have know you were behind dragging us here."
The Admiral, for his part, was trying to remember if he had ever met this rather angry looking man, and came up blank as he continued his rant.
"Why have you brought us here? What right have you to demand that my wife be brought here?"
Zarek for his part showed he had some skills as a Politician and immediately stepped forward and tried to calm the irate man, "Sir, why don't we sit down, I'm sorry Mr Jameson, I don't know your first name, I'm Tom Zarek and I'm sure we can sort this all out quickly?"
"Admiral?"
A touch on his arm had him turning in the direction of the timid voice. "I'm sorry, Sir, I have an urgent call for you." She pointed over to the desk that held the phone, Adama looked back over at the mysterious man, Zarek seemed to be holding his own, so he stepped over to the handset and picked it up.
"Adama."
"Admiral, Sir, its Dee."
"Yes Dee what can I do for you?" Bill said rather distractedly as he continued to look over at the Vice President starting to lose the battle of calmness with his stranger.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but it's about Lee."
The Vice President appeared to be starting to lose the battle of wills and Adama wished Dualla would get to the point!
"He's not well, Sir," she said quietly.
Adama needed to go, he could see the tension building and if he didn't do something soon, Zarek would be sporting a black eye.
"Dee, why don't you bring him back to Galactica and we can get him some treatment?" The Admiral said reasonably.
"Yes, Sir, thank you, but there is something else I think you should know."
"Ah Dee can it wait till you get here?" The Admiral said already moving round the desk ready to move on.
"Yes, yes I guess it could," she said hesitantly.
"I'll see you here then, thank you for looking after him Dee I appreciate it," with that he quickly put the phone down and moved over to the mounting argument.
"WILL YOU PIPE DOWN OUT THERE?" Cottle's voice demanded from behind the curtain.
All three men looked in that direction and Adama said coolly, "Why don't we us the doctor's office while he is examining your wife."
"She doesn't need another examination, her own doctor has already looked at her," Mrs Jameson's husband said crossly but more quietly than before.
"I understand your frustration, Mr Jameson, but Doctor Cottle is the finest medical man in this fleet and I promise you he will tell you his findings in due course, nothing will be covered up here and I will explain it best I can to you. Now if you will follow me we can wait in his office," Adama gripped the man's arm and started moving the him off towards Jack's office.
The three men were uneasy in each other's company; Mr Jameson stared with hostility across at both Adama and Zarek. The Admiral had stalled any questions that the man had until Cottle came out of his exam but as time ticked by all of them were getting noticeably edgy.
It was a good twenty minutes later that Cottle finally emerged from round the curtain and headed to his office. As he stepped in he found it occupied by the three wary looking men. "Feel free to use my office," he mumbled under his breath, as he moved past the standing Admiral he gave him a slight nod and his eyes confirmed that indeed they had found their final Cylon.
He went and sat behind his desk and waited for the barrage of questions the lady's husband clearly had on his tongue.
"How is my wife? What are you going to do to help her, when can I see her?" Were the first set that bubbled forth from the clearly upset man.
He was about to add more enquiries to his list but Cottle stopped him, "Mr Jameson, let me answer those questions first."
Adama started pacing quietly in the background.
"Your wife is comfortable, she will have a nurse with her at all times to monitor her, I believe your second question was about treatment?'' Cottle said and waited till the man nodded, "unfortunately there is nothing I can do, she is in a coma, and thirdly you can go and visit anytime you like."
"Coma...how...you don't just fall into comas, what's wrong with her, something must be wrong?"
Cottle looked across at the prowling Admiral, who winced. This was not an easy conversation and the Admiral felt a small relief when Cottle's phone started to buzz.
Jack, as a long standing medical man, was quick to pick up and see where he was needed next.
Adama was therefore surprised when the phone was thrust in his direction, "Gaeta," he supplied in way of an answer.
As Bill picked up the phone, Gaeta's voice came back at him, "Sir I thought you would like to know that the Raptor your son and daughter in law are on is now docking.
"That was quick?"
"Yes sir seems the captain was quite eager to move the sick son of the Admiral of Fleet off his ship."
"Yes I bet he was, o.k. thank you Mister Gaeta, I guess they had better come down here after they come aboard." Bill looked across apologetically at Jack, who raised his eyes in annoyance.
The Admiral replaced the handset.
"What now?" Jack snapped tersely.
"Lee's not well, Dualla has brought him aboard."
"What's wrong with him?" The doctor in Cottle kicking in.
"Actually I don't know," the Admiral uttered.
"Touching as this all is perhaps you can tell me what is going on with my wife?" Jameson's voice sliced through frustrated.
"We can't..."
"Now you listen to me," the angry man got to his feet and stood toe to toe with the Admiral of the fleet. Both Tom and Jack stood uneasily at the stand off. "You may think you're some kind of god strutting around your mighty battlestar," Jameson spat thumping his finger to his own chest, "but you're nothing to me, the only thing that matters is my wife and if you get in my way then you and I are going to start locking horns, Admiral," he finished with.
Adama for his part remained completely calm in front of the impassioned man, and said softly, "You must love your wife very much, Mr Jameson."
Calming visibly under the Admiral's softly softly approach he said, "yes, yes I do, she's not been herself recently, she's been very depressed, preoccupied, going off without telling me. She has had a problem with alcohol ever since I have known her - but it's been getting worse again. I've been concerned for her and now this!"
"Sir, I think it's best explained if I show you something, if you'd come with me," Adama moved over to the door and held it open for Jameson to step through and followed on behind him, Bill steered the man over to one of the curtained off beds and just pulled it back enough to show the man on the bed.
"This man has all the same symptoms as your wife, so do these other three," he said pointing down the line of curtains.
"So what's wrong with them then?"
The Admiral went over and pulled another curtain back and heard a sharp in take of breath from the man at his side.
"But that's ... that's, I've seen her."
"Yes Sir that is a Cylon we know as Six, you probably saw it on New Caprica. This bed is also occupied by a know Cylon," he said now pulling Sharon's curtain back to show him.
"I don't understand - what are you saying?"
The Admiral said bluntly indicating the beds, "These four fell into a coma at exactly the same time, also here are ...the children of these...what I'm saying is - these four and your wife make up the five missing Cylons, we now know who all twelve are, she's a Cylon, I'm sorry."
Jameson stared open mouthed at the Admiral before laughing out loud. "Don't be a fool; she's my wife we have been married for years."
"I'm sorry," the words Adama was about to say were lost as a bed came crashing through the door with the figure of Lee Adama on it. "Excuse me a minute," Bill said worriedly before heading across to see his son. Dualla was still at his side and Cottle's years of experience had him there quickly as well.
Adama watched as Cottle tried to examine Lee but he was finding it difficult with struggling patient. "What can you tell me, Lieutenant?" Cottle asked glancing up at her.
"He was fine and then all of a sudden he's out flat telling me he has a terrible headache."
Adama frowned and looked round, Zarek had grabbed Jameson and moved them away, but they stood staring at the drama as it unfolded.
Cottle ordered his nurses round him and quite suddenly Lee's body went still. The Admiral stepped forward anxiously, "Jack."
"It's alright his just unconscious."
It was Dee that pucked up enough courage to ask the question they were all wondering, "What's wrong with him?"
Instead of answering straight away, Cottle glanced up at the Admiral, written in the look was enough to have Bill move round next to the doctor whose voice dropped in volume, "It looks like the same as Laura."
"It can't be!" Adama's face crease in concern and puzzlement.
"I... it looks the same" Cottle said trying to work out the implications of his statement.
"How?" Adama snapped.
"I don't frakking know," Cottle said tensely but held up his hand before Adama's anger overloaded, "Look he has the same symptoms as Laura and the other hybrid children."
Bill's eyes widen as a sudden thought hit him, and he turned quickly to Jameson, and demanded, "What did you say your wife's name was?"
"What?" Jameson said caught out by the sudden question.
"Her name, what's her name?" his voice increasing.
Jameson swallowed under the intense gaze of Adama, "Ann, her name is Ann."
The Admiral's breath hitched and he looked round at Cottle, who seemed to realise were this was going and said, "I don't know Bill."
The Admiral took a deep breath and looked toward the last shrouded bed before striding start over a pulling open the curtain.
"Hey," Jameson started to step forward only to find himself held back by a hand on his arm and he turned angry eyes on the Vice President. Neither men had the slightest idea of what was going on but could see it was significant.
Adama stood perfectly still looking at the woman on the bed. No sound came out of his mouth but his grip on the curtain tighten and as the tug became more pronounced the hooks began to snap and pull away from the rail. The Admiral began to fall with the curtain to his knees and only the closest could have heard his whispered words, "Oh gods no, not Carolanne."
So come on what did you think?
