Bright, Shiny Futures – Chapter Twenty-Five
"Sam," Kara said firmly, recovering her composure quickly. "Put the gun down."
" 'Fraid I can't do that Kara," he said, voice soft but matter of fact.
"Sam? This is Sam? Your ex-husband?" Michael was shocked.
"I wouldn't say 'ex' exactly," Sam answered. "It's not like we were ever divorced."
"More like 'previous husband' I'd say," Kara added. They shared a look.
"Ahem." Michael cleared his throat. "The gun."
"Put the gun down Sammy," Kara repeated. "It's okay, you don't have to protect me."
"Yes I do."
The look in her eyes grew hard and Sam could see Starbuck, in all her glory, emerge.
"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she said icily. "I don't need your help."
"You don't understand Kara. I have to. It's my destiny."
"Just put the gun down before someone gets hurt," Michael interrupted, beginning to sound frustrated. "This is a private matter and none of your business."
"Oh but it is my business. Kara is my business. Lee is my business."
"What the frak are you talking about?" Kara demanded.
Sam ignored her, continuing to stare at Michael. "Don't you know yet?" he asked softly. "Haven't you seen?"
"Know what? Seen what?"
"You don't know who you are." It was almost a question. "What you are."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Kara's eyebrows raised. "Okay, this whole weird destiny thing is creeping me out Sam."
"It's time you learned the truth Kara," he said softly, finally turning to face her. "Your husband is a Cylon."
Hera woke suddenly. "It's raining," she said, before even opening her eyes. "There's a storm coming." She sat up to find Katrina's puzzled face staring at her.
"Since when did you start taking afternoon naps Hera?" her babysitter asked.
Hera shrugged, unwilling to explain. "I sleep when I'm tired."
"She does this all the time," Kiera said. "Drives us crazy."
"Shut up Kiera!"
"No!"
"Shut up!"
"Girls." Katrina stood, holding her arms out, palms facing each of them. "Let's not fight."
"She shouldn't tell family secrets," Hera said.
"She shouldn't tell me to shut up," Kiera retorted.
"I said no fighting."
Hera bit back the words on the tip of her tongue. Her sister's loose mouth was definitely a pain but she respected Katrina enough to listen to her. She'd been the girls' babysitter since Hera was two and was almost part of the family.
"Kiera, it's probably not a good idea to talk about your family without asking them first. And Hera, have you talked to your parents about the fact that you're tired and fall asleep during the day? That's not normal for a ten-year-old. Even you. There might be something wrong that you need to see a doctor for."
"I'm fine and yes my parents know," Hera answered, perhaps a little shortly. Seeing the surprised look on Katrina's face she added, "Sorry. I always feel a little out of it after sleeping during the day."
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine." Hera smiled. "Just dreaming about rain."
"I guess you were hearing the wind and imagined the rain."
"I guess." Hera leaned over to the bedside table and grabbed a book. Though she spent the next half hour ostensibly absorbed in it, in reality she just stared at the same page, words all blurring together as her mind wandered, wondering what her vision could possibly have meant.
Lee found as time passed that he was enjoying being with Zach more and more. The boy definitely reminded him of himself but whenever he smiled Lee saw a glint of the mischeviousness he'd always loved in Kara and it warmed his heart.
He watched and listened as his father and Zach talked about flying – discussing all the various ships and their capabilities. Eventually it turned into stories about certain pilots' escapades and he heard his name and Kara's mentioned liberally.
Sara was hanging on the fringe of the conversation but not participating. Roslin tried to draw her in several times but she answered with only a word … when she answered at all.
Lee watched her pacing, feeling a little anxious himself. It seemed as if she had something on her mind. He didn't think it was because she was missing her parents, but then again he didn't know enough about small children to be sure. He debated whether or not to ask her if something was wrong.
His attention wandered elsewhere as his father began to recount the time Lee had blown up the tylium refinery (without mentioning the Cylons of course) and he was surprised by a little hand tucking itself into his.
He looked down. Sara stared up at him, motioning with her other hand to come close, as if she had a secret. Lee leaned down. "Mommy needs you," she whispered.
His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" he whispered back.
"Mommy needs you now. She's in trouble." Her face crumpled and Lee could read terror there loud and clear.
"Are you sure?"
"Help her please. She's in danger."
He didn't think twice about the fact that a four-year-old shouldn't know that turn of phrase. He stood quickly. "I need to go out for a few minutes," he said. He leaned down to Sara. "You'll be okay here. My father will take care of you."
She nodded, tears in her eyes.
He touched her hair gently, hoping to reassure her, then left quickly, before his father and Roslin could ask questions.
"You're crazy," Michael said, shaking his head. "He's crazy Kara. You never told me your previous husband was insane."
Kara glanced quickly over at Michael then turned her full attention back to Sam. "I don't believe you," she said flatly. "You are crazy. How could you possibly know that?"
"Because I'm one myself," he answered softly.
Kara stepped backwards involuntarily, shaking her head as well. "No. No! I refuse to believe that. You're not a Cylon. Neither of you is."
"I know it's hard to believe."
"If it were true, why didn't you frakking tell me when we were married?"
"I didn't know until we reached Earth. Besides, if I had you would have put a bullet between my eyes."
"Damn straight." She looked him up and down. "No. I still don't believe you. You hated the toasters. How many of them did you kill? You wouldn't have killed your own people."
"I would have for you."
"Don't go getting all sappy and romantic on me Sam, it doesn't suit you," she said spitefully.
"Romance has nothing to do with it. I'm programmed to protect you. That was my mission, though I didn't know it at the time."
"How can I believe you?"
"Ask Helo. He knows about us."
"Us? There are more?"
Sam nodded his head, eyes dark and sad. "A few. We discovered it when we had our blood tested. We have the same DNA structure as Sharon."
"I still can't believe it. I don't want to believe it. I was married to a toaster for two years?"
"Still are," he said. "Just a different one now."
"I am not a machine!" Michael said angrily. "I'm a man! She told me about the machines that wanted to destroy all the humans. I'm not one of them!"
"Neither am I. We're different – we're humanity's protectors. Kara has always had a special destiny and though the others have tried to use her for their own purposes, our purpose was to make sure she made it safely to Earth and gave birth to the child that will lead us into a new future of peace."
"Child?" Michael and Kara asked in unison.
"Sara."
Helo touched his wife's arm gently as they headed upstairs. "Are you okay Sharon?" he asked softly.
She continued to stare at the mirrored wall of the elevator. "Something's happening."
"What kind of something?"
"I'm not sure. Something related to our kind." She turned her head and met his curious gaze. Her eyes were deeply troubled.
"You mean Sam and the others?"
She nodded. "I'm not sure what, but I can sense that something has changed."
"Is there anything we can do?"
She shook her head, eyes glistening. "I don't know."
He pulled her into his arms. He didn't know what to say so he hoped silence would be enough.
Whatever it was seemed to be getting worse though – her hand was shaking as she reached for the door to their room. He noted the look of utter relief on her face when she saw the girls were okay. He went over to talk with Katrina and hugged Kiera while Sharon made a beeline for Hera.
"Are you okay?" she asked immediately, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
Hera put down her book. "Why? Is something wrong?"
"Maybe," Sharon said evasively.
Hera leaned in close. "I had another dream."
"Tell me."
As Hera recounted her dream, Sharon's face grew darker and darker. "Karl," she called. "I'm going out for a while. I need to clear my head."
Helo walked over and touched her shoulder. "Let me know if you need me," he whispered in her ear.
She nodded and left quickly, before the girls could ask any questions.
"If you do anything to my daughter, I swear I will … " Michael's face was blacker than the sky.
"You're mistaken," Sam interrupted. "We would never hurt Sara. We're here to protect her. To make sure she lives to fulfill her destiny."
"I don't think there's any threat to her other than you," Michael argued. "Put down the gun and let me go."
"Can't do that. Your time with her is done. It's time for you to let her go. To let them both go."
Michael stepped forward so the gun was pressed against his chest. "If you think I'm going to walk away from Kara and my children, you're crazy. You'll have to kill me to keep me away from them."
Their eyes met.
"I was hoping I wouldn't have to," Sam said, regret clouding his face. "But even if you can't see your purpose clearly, I can. And I will do whatever I have to, to fulfill The Plan."
"Sam, please don't do this," Kara begged, reaching a hand out to him. "Please don't kill him. You're just confused, you don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes. Yes I do. It's amazing Kara. For the first time in my life I understand my purpose." His voice was full of wonderment. "I know why I exist. I've always just floated along, doing whatever came my way but I always felt empty inside. Like there was supposed to be more but I was missing it. Don't you feel it Kara? That emptiness inside? When you and your destiny come face to face you feel complete and whole in a way you've never felt before."
Lee.
She felt the flush rise instantly, making her face hot though the temperature of the air was steadily dropping as the storm drew near.
"It all came to me tonight. I was having visions – seeing things I'd never seen before and knowing things I couldn't possibly know. It was confusing, almost terrifying but as soon as I saw you it all coalesced. I saw the past, present and future all in one. Saw your place in it and mine, and everyone else's. And I knew exactly what I had to do as if someone had spoken it aloud to me.
My mission was to keep you safe till you found Earth. He took over then – you became his responsibility, to love you and create the child that will lead us to peace and freedom. Now that we're together again my mission is to make sure you follow the path destiny has laid out for you."
"I'm not saying I believe any of this crap, but you said my destiny was to love Kara and create Sara with her. I've done that, now can't we just go on with our lives? Kara is following her destiny."
"No she isn't. It isn't a straight path. It's a forked road, fraught with difficult choices. It's always been my mission to make sure she makes the right choices, and I nearly screwed up before because I fell in love with her. I won't let it happen again."
"How can you do this to her? Take away her husband and the father of her children? Don't you know how much that will hurt her?"
"I loved Kara Thrace and a part of me always will. But I've seen the story of her life and I know that no matter how much this might hurt now, she will be happier following the path that was laid out for her."
"Excuse me, stop talking about me as if I'm not here," Kara snapped, anger colouring her cheeks a deeper red. "I make my own choices. Sam, you don't have to make them for me."
"And you know in your heart what the right choice is. You're just afraid to make it. This has all happened before and it will all happen again and every time it all hinges on you."
"Me? How the frak did I get so special?"
"Don't you know who you are?" Sam whispered, incredulity lowering his voice to near silence.
Kara put her hands on her hips in a familiarly defiant pose. "Enlighten me."
"You're Aurora. Goddess of the dawn. The bringer of life."
Sharon pressed her fingers to her temples, as if she could remove the intense throbbing within with pressure from without. As the elevator door opened and she stepped out into the lobby, it all suddenly cleared and she knew exactly what was going on.
"I loved Kara Thrace and a part of me always will. But I've seen the story of her life and I know that no matter how much this might hurt now, she will be happier following the path the was laid out for her."
Sam. She was inside Sam's head. For a moment the visions overwhelmed her and she had to stop and close her eyes. It had been so long since she'd been linked to another Cylon consciousness that she'd almost forgotten how it worked. She had to open her mind and be receptive to it or the intensity was too much to handle.
Sam knew. He'd been made aware of his destiny. She could see that one thread in his mind shining crystal clear. He knew what he had to do and he was going to do it – no one was going to get in his way.
She hurried.
Lee couldn't get downstairs fast enough. The elevator seemed to be taking forever to come so he crossed the hall and began to take the stairs, three at a time.
Kara's in trouble. Kara's in trouble. His heart seemed to beat in rhythm with those words. He sent up a quick silent prayer to anyone who might be listening to keep her safe till he got there.
He threw open the lobby doors and ran out, stopping briefly to look side to side in a vain attempt to see where they'd gone. No luck. He didn't hear any voices either so he just had to follow his gut instinct.
As he swung round the corner to exit the parking area, he caught sight of them in a small grove of trees.
Kara and Michael were there, but so was someone else. Someone tall, holding a gun. Someone who looked an awful lot like Samuel T Anders. Another figure came into view from the other side of the trees. Short, slim, with a black ponytail. Sharon.
He quickened his steps.
"You are out of your mind!" Michael yelled. "Come on Kara, let's go." He grabbed her arm but she didn't move.
As Lee grew closer he could see her face. The expression on it made his blood run cold. It was blank. Completely blank. Expressionless.
"I'm sorry I have to do this to you." Sam turned to Kara. "I'm sorry," he whispered, face twisted with enough emotion for the both of them.
"Sam, don't!"
The cry rang out from both sides of the trees as Lee and Sharon rushed in to stop the drama from unfolding.
Too late.
The gunshot was deafening, as was the sound of Michael's body falling onto the pine needles below, a crimson stain spreading from the gaping hole in his chest.
TBC
A/N: Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter, particularly to Liastra Lee, gatelover, blondevor, Elliesmeow, LeahLooWho, xan-merrick, JB twilightforever and Kou Shun'u for you lovely comments. Special thanks also to jandjsalmon for posting this for me – you rock girl!
