Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica belongs to Ronald D. Moore and the Sci-Fi channel.
Chapter 8: Seeing double, or A Tale of Two Bills
The next day the phone's ringing interrupted his morning shave. He quickly wiped the shaving cream off his face to answer it. "Adama."
"We've got a problem," Hannah's voice told him.
"Hannah, what's wrong?" he asked with worry.
"Mom's throwing up, I think Charlotte has a fever, and I don't feel very good either," the girl admitted.
"I'll be right there," he told her. He hung up the phone and hastily shrugged on his uniform top, buttoning it as he dashed toward the guest quarters.
Hannah sat on the couch holding Charlotte as Bill spotted Laura standing by the sink. He walked over to her and rested a hand on her shoulder, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. He felt a familiar flash of fear in the pit of his stomach. Oh please, not this one too. "You're all coming to Life Station."
"I'm not arguing today," she said quietly.
Adama called Cottle so that the doctor was not caught off-guard when they all appeared in his doorway. The doctor ran a few blood tests on Laura and Hannah while one of the nurses gave the baby something to reduce the fever.
The admiral decided to call Tigh. "I've… got a situation. I don't know how long I'll be."
Tigh snorted on the other end. "If she keeps making you late, you're gonna have to remind her which one of you still has a job. The other one never made you late."
"Just man the fort for a while longer," Bill told him before hanging up the phone.
Adama looked over from the waiting area as Cottle neared him. "How bad is it?"
Cottle sighed and shook his head. "Bad doesn't cover it."
"Does this one have cancer too?" Adama asked flatly.
"No, but if we don't get her back to where she came from, it'll kill her just the same. She and her daughters have a slightly different immune system than you and me. We have an immunity for something that they, for some reason I can't figure out, don't," Cottle explained.
"May I see her?" Adama asked.
"Sure," Cottle replied.
Bill moved the curtain to see Laura sitting on the bed, watching Hannah. "Hey."
She turned to face him, her lips morphing into that familiar smile. "Hey."
He sat down next to her. "We need to get you and the girls home. Jack says you're short an immunity here."
"I know. He said the same to me," Laura mentioned. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her temples.
"Can you fly?" Bill asked.
"I don't think so," she answered.
Looks like I'm gonna be really late today. "I'll fly your Raptor then."
She blinked, studying him for a moment. "Alright, but when we reach our destination, we need to switch to audio only messaging and either Hannah or I need to do the talking or they'll think you're a changeling."
He nodded. "Sounds reasonable."
Reaching over, she grasped one of his hands in hers. "Thank you. I'm sorry we've been such a burden to you."
With his other hand, he lifted her chin so that she looked at him. I'll miss you. "You're not a burden."
She smirked and chuckled softly. "Liar. I bet Saul is going to get all over your case if he hasn't already."
He chuckled too. "Yeah, but right now I don't mind."
Releasing his hand, she touches his face. "You realize that flying me back won't make saying goodbye any easier."
Gently he removed her hand from his face and kissed the top of it. "I know. There is one thing I'd like to know though. Who's the dying leader in your universe?"
She sighed, placing her hands in her lap. "You are."
He stared at her in shock for a moment before speaking again. "I suppose it makes sense now, Hannah telling me I should be in Life Station. Yesterday makes more sense too."
She nodded. "When I kissed you, I wasn't seeing you. I was seeing my husband healthy again. In a week or less, I'll be where you are."
"Then we'd better get you back as soon as possible so you can say goodbye properly," Bill concluded.
Soon the four of them were in the Raptor, headed for the hole. It took seconds to pass through and the space on the other side looked almost identical. As he piloted the Raptor though, a peculiar gray object came into his view. It reminded him of a gyroscope, with the ring spinning around a center.
"Laura, what's that?" he inquired.
She glanced up from the panel she had been resting on. "That's where we're going. It's a space station called Deep Space Nine."
On the other side of a small window, Colonel Kira Nerys paced the deck. She stopped in front of a gold-striped lieutenant. "Why can't we find them?"
The nervous young man turned to face the Bajoran. "Sir, the Cylons fired-"
"I know what was fired, but there should've been debris. I've been delaying telling the admiral, hoping that somehow they'd survived. Looks like it's time to face the music," she grumbled.
Just then the console beeped. "Sir, we've got a small ship heading toward us, Colonial Class. It could be hers."
Kira blinked. "Put it on the viewscreen. Scan for life signs."
The Raptor appeared as it neared the station. "Four life signs. Three female, one male, all human."
A brown-suited Bajoran officer sat up straighter. "Sir, they're hailing us, audio only."
"Put it through," Kira requested.
Laura's voice was identifiable, but weak. "Colonel Kira, this is President Laura Adama. I am in need of medical assistance. I also have a guest with me who requires a private audience."
"We're on our way, Madame President. Do you mind if I ask who's with you?" Kira inquired.
"I can't answer that right now," Laura replied.
As they waited in the docked Raptor for the door to open, Laura pulled the hood down on Bill's robe. "Hannah can hold Charlotte. I'm going to lean on you, but I'll do the talking."
"That would probably be best," he agreed.
The door opened and the two walked into the small hallway, followed by Hannah and Charlotte. Colonel Kira stood met them half way with a security team behind her. "Madame President, what happened? Where were you?"
"My daughters and I ended up in another universe, through a hole caused by a mixture of weapons fire. We need to seal that hole," Laura explained.
Kira nodded. "We'll look into it immediately. Hopefully we can-"
"I think 'immediately' may have to wait a moment. She and her daughters need medical attention first," Adama interrupted, feeling Laura sway while trying to hold onto him.
The colonel stared in disbelief. "Are you sure it was another universe?"
"Positive. Look you guys, can we talk about this in sickbay?" Hannah interjected.
"Of course," Kira responded. The others followed her to sickbay. Once they had arrived, she excused the security team. Dr. Bashir stood at seeing the group enter.
"Kira, what's going on?" the dark-haired doctor questioned in a curiously familiar accent.
"The president and her daughters need some help. I'm hoping the guest they brought with them can explain," Kira remarked.
Bill pulled his hood down to Bashir's astonishment. "So the changelings are-"
"He's not a changeling; he's from another universe," Laura commented to the brown-haired doctor.
"It's a long story, but my doctor said that they were missing some sort of immunity that people in my universe had," Bill mentioned.
"Let me see...," Bashir said as he held the tricorder over Laura and her daughters. "You've all contracted some sort of virus, but it's easily treatable."
He held the hypospray to Laura's neck and then to Hannah's. After they had been injected, he applied a smaller one to the baby.
Adama watched Bashir for a moment. I wonder if Baltar has cousins in this universe. Then he looked around the room. "Mind if I ask where the other Bill is?"
"Galactica. He prefred to spend his final days in a familiar place," Laura answered, her gaze fixed on the floor.
"If you've got all this medical technology, why can't you just cure him?" Adama questioned.
Bashir faced him. "It's not just cancer. He has somethign ten times more aggressive that we've never seen before. The one thing I have been able to deduce is that it's from an inherent gene that your people have. It surfaces every several generations."
Suddenly a young man wearing a suit of sorts with a dark blue vest instead of a uniform entered the room. He turned toward Kira. "Nerys, I came here as soon as I-" he stopped, seeing Adama. "Changelings?"
Kira shook her head. "Jake, this is Admiral Adama from another universe. I figured you'd want to know what's going on. Admiral, this is Jake Sisko. His father was the previous officer in charge of this station."
Adama nodded, extending his hand. Jake shook it, continuing to stare. "Mind if I ask how you got here?"
Laura looked over at him. "The better question would be where have I been and why he is here."
"Something tells me this is going to be quite a story," Jake remarked.
"Hannah, Charlotte, and I were running from the Cylons in the modified Raptor. They were shooting at us and somehow the mixture of weapons fire created a spacial tear. We ended up in his universe. The Raptor we had used needed repairs, and it took a while to relocate the hole. But after being over there for a few days, all three of us became ill, and the admiral had to fly us back," Laura explained.
"Sorry I missed the baseball game, Jake," Hannah commented.
Jake smiled at her. "No problem. We've got another game scheduled next week."
Hannah beamed. "Cool!"
Adama turned toward Laura and raised an eyebrow. "'Cool?'"
"It's Earth-slang," she answered.
Kira cleared her throat and everyone turned their attention toward her. "I believe we should discuss fixing that hole."
Adama nodded. "Tell me what I need to do."
"Is there a way to have Cylon fire from your side without starting another battle?" Kira began. It was then that Adama noticed the lines on her nose.
"I hope you don't mind my asking, but why is your nose like that?" Bill asked.
"I'm Bajoran, from a different Alpha Quadrant race than Earthlings," she replied.
"If you're an alien, then why are we able to understand each other?" he inquired.
"Our combadges," she paused to gesture toward the pin-like 'A' shape with the ring around it, "have universal translator capabilities so that we can call communicate. Now, about the Cylons…" Kira pulled the conversation back to where she wanted it.
"In my universe, they're actually our allies. I can talk to the rebel baseship with us," he relayed.
Kira nodded. "Here's what needs to happen: you match the weapons frequency of the Cylons to those of the modified Raptor, firing at the hole at the same time. The Cylons will shoot from your side while someone on our side operates the Raptor."
"I think we can work with that," Adama remarked.
Laura looked back to Bashir. "Julian, if I'm free to go, I'd like to see my husband."
"Normally I'd warn you that the virus isn't completely out of your system yet, but since he's only got a few days left, you shouldn't wait to see him," the doctor recommended.
"I want to bring the girls with me. Hannah deserves a chance to say goodbye, and I can't leave Charlotte alone," she mentioned. Then she faced Adama. "I'd like you to come with us as well."
Adama shook his head. "I need to head back. Besides, you really think your husband wants to see his double?"
She rested a hand on his shoulder, leaning closer so that no one aside from him would hear her words. "It would've almost been easier if he'd died while we were in your universe. I need a friend who'll make sure I'm still standing at the end of this."
He looked back at her, regarding the sad, lost look in her eyes. "Alright, let's go."
The admiral used the Raptor to fly Laura and her daughters over to Galactica. Laura spoke to Helo as they docked. Then the group was led to Life Station, Adama still wearing the hooded robe. He stood back as Laura and her daughters spoke with their Dr. Cottle and walked over to a man on a bed.
Adama watched as Laura kissed the other Bill's bald head and then kissed his lips soundly. Hannah hugged him and Laura placed Charlotte in his arms. The man listened with interest as Hannah talked animatedly. Then Laura said something to Hannah and the girl took the baby over to the waiting area. The man on the bed glanced over at Adama and then whispered something to Laura. She stood, walking back to Adama.
Though no tears marked her soft cheeks, her eyes were red and puffy. "He wants to see you," she stated.
The admiral slowly nodded, walking over to the man in the bed. He took in the gauntness of the man's face, the sunken eyes. We looked more like father and son than the same person. No wonder his family thought I was a Cylon, Adama reasoned.
Bill pulled himself to a sitting position, the effort obviously taxing as his face scrunched for a moment in pain. "Sit," he instructed. "I understand your Laura is gone."
Adama took the chair by the bed. "Yes."
"My condolensces," the other Bill replied.
"What do you want from me?" Adama questioned.
"You know yourself too well," the other man wheezed. "Tell me about your fleet. Laura said that the Cylons are your allies now. Mind explaining that one?"
"Yes, but you won't take 'no' for an answer. The Cylons have two factions, those that think they ought to be in charge of the universe, and those that side with humans and want to work with us. Just because we're allies doesn't mean that I trust them at all though," Adama relayed.
"We managed to chase off the Raiders in the last scuff, but they'll be back, and this Federation that we've found out here needs to be ready. Who have you got that can take charge of your fleet over there?" Bill asked.
"Tigh, Helo, Gaeta, Dee, even Lee if it's an emergency, though he left the military," Adama replied.
"Lee's alive?" Bill questioned, wonder and shock in his tone.
Adama nodded. "He's president at the moment."
"And you still have Saul Tigh," Bill recalled.
"Yes," Adama responded.
Bill shook his head. "Fool."
"Me or you?" Adama inquired.
The man in the bed smirked. "Heh, I guess I meant both of us, me for airlocking him, and you for keeping him around. Do you believe he's capable of running your fleet, even though he's a Cylon?"
"Cylon or not, he is still Saul Tigh, and I trust him," Adama answered. "What about the rest of the Final Five."
"Four. We never found the fifth one. Tyrol is the only one alive, and he's taking care of his son. He's the exception that I didn't have to worry about, him and Boomer along with Athena. Kat was killed in a Viper accident shortly after we found Earth. Tory Foster hanged herself."
A hacking cough interrupted his story. He resumed it after a few minutes. "You can't negotiate with the Cylons in this universe. They tried to trap us into following them to their resurrection hub. It was one big setup, from half of them faking to be on our side to them wanting to settle peaceably anywhere. The Cylons here want every human dead," Bill answered.
"We don't know who the fifth one- wait, did you say 'Kat?'"
"Yes. Isn't she a Cylon in your universe too?"
Adama sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "She died from radiation poisoning long before we were aware of the Final Five. Our other Cylon is Sam Anders."
Bill closed his eyes for a moment. "Anders, Anders, ah. He was one of the people that Kara met when she went to Caprica to bring back the Arrow of Apollo. He was killed helping her get back to her ship."
"At least we finally have a few answers," Adama commented.
"I need someone to run this fleet," Bill stopped to draw in a deep breath. "Helo's alright with leadership, but I don't want him in charge of the whole fleet. Our Gaeta was killed in an accident onboard the Demetrius. Zack's a good XO, but I don't think he's ready to run the fleet. Dee has twin boys to look after. These Federation people don't know how to deal with the Cylons. You do. You and Laura are the only people that our branch of humanity sees as their leader."
"What about Baltar?" Adama brought up.
"That man has been dead in this universe since the end of New Caprica. He was assassinated," Bill told him.
Suddenly the man in the bed was pulled into a coughing spasm. Adama handed him a glass of water. "Thank you. I need to say this before I can't. I know I'm asking a lot of you, but I need you to lead my fleet."
"I'm leading my own fleet," Adama reminded.
Bill scowled. "You don't get it. In your universe, you've found Earth and have come to a compromise with the Cylons. You have people capable of taking over for you. I don't, and there's too much I still need to do."
"How could I pass for you? I've got at least twenty pounds on you and hair," Adama pointed out.
"You'd be surprised how much the uniform actually hides. As for the hair, Laura insisted that I wear a wig- toupee, whatever you want to call it. The hair piece was grayer than I would've liked, much like your hair is now," Bill remarked.
Adama shook his head. "Even if I could pass as 'the Admiral,' there's still your family to consider."
"That's the second reason why I need you here. I want you to look after my family. I've got two grandchildren and one on the way, a son who's not ready to be head of the family, an almost teenage step-daughter who tries to be head of the family, two daughter-in-laws, and a six-month-old daughter who's too young to know what's going on and only knows that you sound like her dad," Bill mentioned.
"You can't seriously expect me to replace you," Adama continued to argue.
"My family can have a private service for me. I want you to protect my family," Bill insisted.
Adama rested his hands on his knees. "And Laura? How is she going to feel with me staying here?"
"She's a strong woman, but you know she needs a certain amount of support. You're the only one who can hold her together in all the things she deals with as president," Bill told him.
"I can't just assume your life," Adama pursued.
Bill glared back at him. "I need you to. Promise me you'll protect them."
Adama dealt him the same glare. "What you're asking is-"
"Promise me."
Adama took a long look at Bill, seeing the conviction and fortitude in his eyes. He's asking me to trade my life for his, just to disappear while my people try to eek out an existence in that solar system. I suppose Lee doesn't really need me. He hasn't for a while. Cylon or not, I trust Saul and Helo can follow as XO. My Laura is in a better place. His Laura has two daughters, one who especially needs a father. Am I really considering this? Maybe I should stop all this analyzing and figure out which side needs me more.
His gaze moved from the man on the bed over to Laura, hearing Charlotte cry again. Laura stood, rocking the wailing baby in her arms, humming an old Caprican lullaby. Suddenly he had his answer.
Adama faced Bill again, this time with certainty written in his face. "I promise to protect them with every fiber of my being."
(My thanks to Mamabella, McGonagallFan, Alecandrain2, sosayweall, max72, carolann, and Mariel3 for reviewing :D)