Sarah walked along the path. It was cold and drizzling lightly, but she didn't mind the weather. The Six in red walked alongside her.
The grass was dewy and wet, and the mist made the whole mountain seem rather eerie and other-worldly. Six motioned for Sarah to sit down.
"Are you afraid?" she asked.
Sarah shook her head. "I have seen the face of God," she said. "He will protect me."
Six pointed up ahead. A figure was walking towards them, another Six. She had dark blonde hair, and she reached out her hand in a gesture of love.
"She is one of the enlightened ones," whispered Six. "She is like you. Destined for greater things."
Sarah reached out her hand towards the Six with the dark blonde hair. They joined hands, and then they were falling, past New Caprica, past the stars, to the baseship.
The hybrid lay in the vat, staring up at them. "Death is a form of creation. The traitor shall be sacrificed, returned to the stream. End of line."
Then they were back on the mountain. Sarah was alone.
She woke with a start.
********
Sarah's days during her stay with the Resistance had fallen into a predictable pattern. She was treated, if not with kindness, with a certain respect. There were some, such as Jean Barolay, who would have spat on her if they had a chance, but they were in the minority.
"Cylon! I need to talk to you."
Sarah turned towards the voice. Colonel Tigh was seated at the table with Laura, Anders, and a few other Resistance members. She found that she could recognize some of them: Galen Tyrol, Diana Seelix, Tory Foster…
Sarah stared blankly. Six nudged her. "Go sit with them," she whispered, her breath tickling her ear. "This is your chance."
Uncertainly, Sarah moved towards the table. Laura gave her a small smile, and Sarah felt encouraged. She sat down next to Diana Seelix. Tigh shifted in his chair.
"I can't believe I'm saying this," he said. "But we could use your help."
Six stroked her hair. "You're winning them over, Sarah," she whispered.
Sarah kept her expression non-committal. "I'm always happy to help," she said. "As long as this isn't another suicide mission."
An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. "Right," said Tigh. "Not a suicide mission. Mr. Anders, this is your show. Why don't you take over from here?"
Anders nodded and cleared his throat. "As you all know, my wife was taken prisoner by the Cylons about a month ago. We don't know exactly where she is, but I have a hunch." He withdrew a picture from the pocket of his pants and put it on the table.
"This man is Leoben Conoy. I'm assuming you've all seen him?"
Laura smirked. "I airlocked him once. Quite the character, that one."
Anders clenched his jaw. "He's one sick bastard, all right. On the day the Cylons came, he asked me where Kara was. I think he's fixated on her. Has some sort of crazy notion that he's in love with her."
"Yes, he does." Sarah spoke up, and the whole group looked at her. "One model of his in particular. He disappeared around the time you mentioned Kara was captured."
"Oh, frak me," said Anders. He put his head in his hands. "What is he doing to her?" Seelix put her arm around him.
"It's going to be all right, Sam," said Tigh. 'Galen, you're in contact with your source in Baltar's administration, right?"
Tyrol nodded. "Of course."
"Get him to find out exactly where the Cylons reside. It's possible he's holding her in his residence, rather than in the detention center."
"Step forward, Sarah," Six whispered. "You knew where she is."
"No, I don't know," Sarah said out loud.
"You don't know what?" Anders asked.
"I don't know…whether he is holding her in his residence," Sarah said. Six smiled. "But I can find out. I could infiltrate the buildings; find out where she is. Maybe even find the best way to rescue her."
'That could be helpful," said Anders. He looked at Tigh, who shrugged.
"Just don't get caught."
Sarah smiled. "I won't."
Six circled the table, examining each of the people. She turned to Sarah, and smiled as she spoke, her white teeth gleaming beneath red lips:
"Half of these people are Cylons."
Sarah choked down her scream.
**********
Six knew many things. Sarah did not. She was afraid, afraid of being caught by Cavil and boxed. Sarah loved living. She was like Gaius in that sense. There was so much she wanted to feel, to experience. She didn't want to die.
"Your fear of death is amusing," Six said. They were walking through the city, past shabby tents and dirty children. As she passed, a mother came out of the tent and quickly grabbed her child. Sarah ignored her.
"How so?" Sarah asked.
Six looked off into the distance. "It's so very human. Cavil would not approve."
"Well, he doesn't seem to approve much of anything I've done lately, does he?" Sarah said, a bit irritably.
"You can't hide from them forever, you know," Six said. "They're your family. Eventually rebellious children have to go back to their parents."
Sarah laughed bitterly. "Not all children."
They continued walking. In the distance, Sarah could see the residential buildings that the Cylons resided in. She had lived there once. Apartment 1B. That had been a strange time; she hadn't quite known what to do with herself. She had tried to decorate the apartment as a human might, with personal effects. But she soon came to the conclusion that these trinkets had no meaning, because there was no history behind them. She was not human, Sarah had realized, and her apartment would not look like a human lived there.
"What are you thinking about?" Six asked.
"Home," Sarah said simply.
The Six looked at her with a curious expression. "Take my hand, Sarah," she said.
Sarah did, and the then they were no longer on the streets of New Caprica, but somewhere else, in a house. It was a nice house, tastefully decorated, but not too opulent. It was the kind of house that Sarah had imagined normal people lived in. A home.
"I used to dream," Sarah began, but stopped. She didn't know how much she wanted to share with this woman, this angel who was not an angel.
Six smiled, and stroked her hair. "I know."
Sarah looked at all the things in the house, the photographs on the shelf, the furniture, the toys on the floor. Tears blurred her vision, but she blinked them back.
Six pointed to the doorway, and Sarah clamped a hand over her mouth. A girl stood there, a pretty little girl with white-blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Are you the shape of things to come?" she asked. Her voice was high, childish.
Sarah shook her head. "No."
The little girl shrugged, disappointed. She turned and skipped away into the sunlight.
Sarah couldn't stop the tears as she watched her skip away. "I was never a child."
Six looked at her. "Neither was I," she said sadly.
Sarah was suddenly filled with questions. "What are you? Why have you taken me here?"
"I am your angel, come to guide you on your way to enlightenment. To help you fulfill your role in God's plan."
Sarah suddenly wanted it all to go away: the house, the girl, the angel. "Take me away from here," she said. "I don't care who or what you are, if you come from God or not. I have a job to do."
Six smiled, and Sarah saw that she was crying as well. "I didn't take you here," she said. "This is your projection. I merely helped you along your way." She reached for Sarah's hand, and began to hum softly.
Sarah closed her eyes and listened to the song. "There must be some kind of way out of here," she whispered. She stopped crying.
Then she was back on the street, as if no time had passed. People moved about her, seemingly not aware of her momentary disappearance. She looked for Six, but she was gone.
Sarah wiped her eyes and moved forward, feeling strength move through her veins.
"It is the strength of God," Six whispered in her ear.
"Perhaps," Sarah whispered back.
*************
The Centurions stood guarding the entrance to the residential area of the Cylons. Their red eyes gleamed within the metal of their helmets, creating a frightening image, as if something horrible lurked with those helmets. However, Sarah knew better than to be afraid. They were her slaves, and as she passed, she could have sworn they gave a little bow in her direction.
She saw other Cylons; an Eight, a Three, a Five. They ignored her, not bothering to recognize the rebellious Six they had heard so much about. That would be their downfall, Sarah thought: they didn't pay enough attention.
She was no longer afraid of dying, of being boxed. The strength of God flowed through her veins, and she held the image of the little girl and the house close to her heart. Are you the shape of things to come, the girl had asked. Perhaps she was.
She needed to find Kara Thrace. How she could do that was beyond her, but she had faith that she would find a way. She saw a Leoben walk through the courtyard, one she recognized, and decided to follow him. Perhaps he would know something about the whereabouts of Kara.
The Leoben blanched when he saw her, and began to walk faster. She smirked, and seized him by the collar.
"You're coming with me, Leoben," she said.
He looked around for help, but seeing as none was forthcoming, he sighed. "All right, Sarah," he said. "I was wondering when you would come back. Why don't we go somewhere more comfortable?"
She nodded. "Your apartment is fine," she said. "But if you try to alert Cavil to my presence, I will make things very unpleasant for you."
He smiled at her. "I wouldn't dream of turning in an old friend, at least until I've heard her side of the story."
Sarah let him go. "Lead the way," she said.
**********
His apartment was small, and rather un-personalized. She noticed some furniture, and a few books. The walls were unpainted, except for a rather bizarre painting in the middle of his living room of a swirling mass of some kind. It was painted red, blue, and yellow, and reminded her of an eye of some kind.
"Interesting choice of art," Sarah observed.
Leoben stood beside her, and gazed at the painting with reverence. "I painted it myself. I apologize; it may seem a bit strange to non-believers. You may mock me, Sarah, but I believe this image is very important. As is Kara Thrace."
Sarah laughed. "Is that why one of your models kidnapped her, and at this very moment is attempting to play house with her in this very building? Your model has always been good at using God to rationalize your behavior, Leoben-"
"Is that why you came back?" he interrupted. "To lecture me on my beliefs?"
Sarah glared at him, and sat down on his couch. Leoben sighed.
"I apologize," he said. "You are a guest in my home, I shouldn't have insulted you. Please, relax." He walked toward the kitchen. "Would you like some tea?" he asked over his shoulder.
Sarah shook her head. She listened as Leoben prepared a cup of tea for himself, bustling around the kitchen like an over-enthusiastic housewife. He reappeared finally, clutching a cup of steaming herbal tea.
"So Sarah," he said, sitting down and crossing his legs, "What can I do for you?"
Sarah smiled. "It's a bit strange, isn't it?" she said.
Leoben tapped his fingers on the coffee table. "What's strange?" he asked.
"I'm a fugitive," Sarah responded. "Yet you ask me what you can do for me like I'm on a house call."
Leoben shrugged. "I've only heard vague things about what you did, Sarah. Something about shooting some Centurions. Not a great loss, in my opinion. You must have had a good reason to have done what you did. And we are old friends, after all."
Sarah nodded, and relaxed her posture a bit. "We used to have those talks, remember. On the baseship."
Leoben smiled. "Yes, I remember. I like to think that I provided you with some spiritual guidance. You were always a bit of an anomaly among your model. A cynic among believers."
"I believe in God," Sarah said quietly.
Leoben set down his cup. "I'm sure you do. But you are one of those people who want to do more than believe. You want to know what your destiny is, your purpose."
"I am one of the enlightened ones," Sarah said, remembering what Six told her in her dream.
Leoben considered her for a moment. "Yes, I think you are," he said softly.
A comfortable silence ensued. It might be nice to live like this again, Sarah thought. She was not a human, and it was suffocating to live among them. Always pretending to be something she wasn't; ignoring their hostile glances, their doubting looks. But then again, she had been miserable here.
Sarah sat up straighter, remembering her purpose in coming. "The reason I came," she said to Leoben, "is that I need information about Kara Thrace. Her whereabouts, specifically. What can you tell me?"
Leoben sighed. "I can't tell you that. If you asked me anything else, I would tell you. But this is too important for all of us, human and Cylon alike."
Sarah gritted her teeth. "We've been having a pleasant conversation, Leoben," she said, allowing a dangerous tone to creep into her voice. "But don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
Leoben looked at her sadly. "I am truly sorry, Sarah," he said.
Sarah opened her mouth in confusion, but stopped when she heard a loud thumping from outside the door.
"What the hell is that?" she snarled. She seized Leoben and smashed him up against his precious painting.
"It's no use," he said, his face infuriatingly calm. "They'll be here any moment. I didn't want to turn you in, Sarah, but you're a traitor. And traitors have to be punished,"
"You frakking bastard," she whispered. "You're going to tell me where Kara Thrace is right now, or I'll rip your miserable face right off of your-"
The door smashed open. Centurions rushed in and Sarah felt cruel metal claws all over her face, her hair, and her clothes. She screamed and smashed her elbow into one of the Centurions, but there were too many. Eventually she stopped struggling and allowed the Centurions to drag her across the apartment.
They held her in their clutches, and Sarah stared at the ground, refusing to look up. There was someone above her, talking to Leoben.
"Go easy on her, will you?" Leoben asked.
A voice answered in response, "She's a traitor. She needs to be made an example of."
Finally, Sarah looked up. Cavil stood in the doorway, staring down at her with a rather malicious grin on his face.
"Welcome home, Sarah," he said.