~ Bright, Shiny Futures - Chapter Fifty-Eight ~
"No frakking way." Adama shook his head decisively, head triumphing over heart. "I don't believe it."
"You don't believe what your eyes tell you?" Zero said gently.
"No."
She chuckled sadly. "You were never one to believe the impossible."
"So you're agreeing it's impossible then."
She shook her head. "So much like your father."
The arrival of the other ships into fleet territory halted his vitriolic response. "We'll talk later," he said through tightly clenched lips, cheeks reddening as he realized the others were raptly watching and listening to their exchange. "In private."
* * * * * * * * * *
Sara tugged at the woman's arm. "When is my mommy going to get here?"
Jennifer squatted down to Sara's level and smiled at her. "I don't know when your mommy will come but I'm sure it won't be too long. Be patient little one. She'll be here soon."
"She needs to come. I need to see her." Sara walked forlornly back to the corner where Zach, Hera and Kiera were sitting.
* * * * * * * * * *
Kara climbed onto the Raptor thankfully and sat down. She kept her eyes glued to Galactica as they approached. Home. She couldn't wait to get back and see her children. Lee, opposite her, smiled, and she returned it. She'd never doubted her abilities but she was a seasoned enough officer to know that things could always go down in unexpected ways and even the best laid plans could go horribly awry. Too many of her friends and comrades had been lost that way in the past and though many years had passed since, their losses were just as fresh as if they were yesterday. She couldn't deny there was a part of her that had been afraid she might not make it back.
She gave a long sigh of relief as the Raptor landed feather-soft on the hangar bay deck. Lee leaned forward and squeezed her hand and together they disembarked.
Adama flashed a brief business-like smile at them but couldn't hide his relief as his shoulders relaxed down a few inches. He drew them both into a large hug. "Thank the Gods," he murmured. "You'd think it would get easier sending you off into danger after all the times I've had to do it, but it seems to get harder and harder every time."
Eventually he let them go but something in his gaze and the way he was staring troubled Lee. "What is it dad?" he asked gently. "Is there something wrong?"
Kara's heart leapt up into her throat and began beating like a wild thing.
Adama took a long breath in, held it, then exhaled. "Yes and no." He looked at each of them in turn. "The woman you brought back. She claims to be my mother."
"Mother?" Lee shouted. "How could that be? She must be lying." An angry flush darkened his face as he realized they'd been had.
"Is she?" Kara's voice was a mere whisper.
Lee turned to her. "You can't possibly believe ... "
"At this point I neither believe nor disbelieve anything," she interrupted, voice rising. "I've seen more than one impossible thing in the last month. Things aren't always what they seem. People aren't always what they seem. I'm not surprised at the news that anyone is a Cylon anymore. I wouldn't even be surprised to find out I am one."
"Gods forbid," Lee interjected.
"What about you? If Zero's story is true then your grandmother was a cylon. That makes you part Cylon. Just like Hera and Kiera. And Sara."
"And Zach," Lee whispered. "If I have Cylon DNA then so does he."
Kara nodded. "Our attitude towards Cylons and mixed human/Cylon persons is going to have to change as we find out that more and more of us belong to that group. They're not the enemy anymore; they're a part of who we are as a people." She reached out and clasped Lee's hand, squeezing his warm fingers in her own. "Finding out that you might be part Cylon doesn't make me love you any less. The fact that my children are hybrids doesn't make me love then any less either."
Adama touched her shoulder and swallowed hard. "You're absolutely right. But that doesn't make it any easier when you suddenly find your whole world turned upside down and things that you were certain of suddenly turn out not to be."
Kara smiled. "Believe me, I know exactly how that feels. I'm not saying it's easy, just that it's necessary."
He smiled at them both. "I should go and have a talk with our guest and you should go collect your children and enjoy some well-earned family time."
* * * * * * * * * *
Adama stood by his desk, slowly pouring a glass of water. He turned and held the glass up. "Would you like some?" he asked, the first words to have been uttered since the visitor had entered his quarters.
She shook her head. "I'm fine, thank you."
He didn't hurry into speech, but instead swirled the water around, staring into his glass as if it had all the answers.
"You don't believe what I've told you."
He finally looked up and met the elderly woman's eyes. "You have to admit, it's a pretty farfetched story."
"Oh, I'm well aware of that," she said, smiling, "and I wish I had proof for you. I knew if we ever met I'd have a tough time convincing you that I am who I say I am."
"Pretty convenient that, the destruction of the colonies. I have nothing from when I was a child, save very vague memories."
Zero chuckled. "You may not have become a lawyer but you are certainly your father's son."
Adama's eyes narrowed. "Just because you know my father was a lawyer doesn't prove that your story is true."
"Tell me about your mother," she said eagerly, sitting up and leaning forward. "What do you remember?"
"Not a whole hell of a lot; she died when I was three years old."
"Tell me."
Her voice was soft but her eyes were compelling. Before he was aware of it, he was talking. "I remember a woman's voice, soft, singing." He closed his eyes. "She used to sing to me often, not just at bedtime. She loved music. I remember the white apron she used to wear over her dresses, and a scent. The smell of ...
" ... vanilla." She chimed in and they said it together. Adama's eyes flew open.
"I always loved the smell of vanilla. I used to burn vanilla-scented candles in the house so it would smell pretty." Adama's eyes narrowed slightly at her confession. "You're right, I always loved music. It seems to speak to people at a much deeper level than words ever do. It touches the heart as well as the mind and stirs the soul in a way that nothing else can. I've always believed it's nearly magical." She took a breath and began to hum.
A few bars in, Adama began to hum along. "Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm ... " The song ended and they began again, this time with words.
When I was a tiny sleepy head, mama gently would tuck me into bed.
And sing of raisins and almonds.
And the sweet years to be, sweet as raisins and almonds.
Oh that dear memory, oh that dear memory.
"How did I know that?" Adama demanded, completely dumbstruck. "I don't know that song. I've never heard it before."
"Oh but you have," Zero said softly. "I used to sing it to you every night before bed. The words are a little nonsensical but I loved the minor melody. I used to sing it a few times then hum it over and over until you fell asleep."
Adama's Adam's apple bounced up and down as he swallowed repeatedly. "Why did you go away and leave when I was just a small child?" His voice was raspy and soaked with emotion. "Didn't you know how hard it would be for me?"
Her face crumpled. "I didn't want to go. I had to."
* * * * * * * * * *
There was a happy reunion in the babysitting room when Kara and Lee arrived. Much hugging and kissing ensued, then Zach and Sara ran off to Helo and Sharon as they arrived to pick up their girls.
Kara felt a touch at her elbow. "I was wondering if I might have a word with you." Kara pulled her eyes away from the scene across the room to focus on Jennifer. "I was thinking it might be time to put Zach into school. Not that we mind having him here, but he's old enough to be there and I think he's a little bored just playing games and singing songs with the younger kids."
"Yes of course," Kara agreed. "Shouldn't Kiera and Hera be in school too?" she asked.
"They are. But because of the connection the four children seem to have made, we decided to have them stay here. Your children are living through some difficult times and we thought it would be best for them to find comfort in whatever familiar things they can."
Kara felt herself choke up and swallowed hard. "Thank you. I appreciate that very much. I'll definitely look into getting Zach into the school. I know he misses it."
"He and Kiera are almost the same age. They should be in a class together. Hopefully that familiarity will help him adjust."
"I'm sure it will. Thank you for everything." Kara smiled warmly at the other woman.
"Our pleasure. They're great kids."
Kara beamed. "I know. But I always thought maybe I was biased."
* * * * * * * * * *
He grimaced again as the alcohol burned his throat. It was his third glass and his brain was beginning to feel fuzzy. She can't possibly be my mother. She died sixty-eight years ago, at the other end of the galaxy. It just isn't possible. Adama shook his head violently, as if to purge the very thought through strength alone. Anything's possible when it comes to Cylons. You should know that by now.
"No," he said aloud, though he was alone. "I don't want to believe it." But in his heart acceptance was already beginning to take root. I'm half Cylon. I'm one of them. Kara was right, we need to embrace it, not fear it. Yesterday I was sure I was fully human, today I know I'm a hybrid. I'm no different than I was yesterday; I'm still the same person I've been every other day of my life. Nothing has changed but for the way people will label me.
"And how I'll label myself," he murmured. He took another large gulp and closed his eyes as the liquid warmed a path down low into his gut. A memory came - his mother kneeling down low and facing him, her arms softly holding his shoulders.
"I'm going to have to leave you soon Billy. My time has come and I haev to go."
"Where?"
"Someone you can't follow."
"Why?"
"I can't explain it sweetheart."
"Why?"
She smiled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek, leaving wetness behind. Her eyes glistened. "I want you to take care of your daddy, okay Billy? You're a strong little boy, you can help him get through this hard time."
"I don't want you to go."
"I don't want to go either, but I have to." She gathered him into her arms and wetness trickled down the back of his neck. "Always remember that I love you Billy." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Never forget."
Adama opened his eyes and blinked repeatedly. His jaw set and he smacked the glass down on the table as he rose. He strode purposefully down to the quarters they'd given Zero. It was time to get the truth.
All of it.
* * * * * * * * * *
Laura woke, feeling almost normal. The lights were dim and she struggled to sit up, reassured as she recognized the surroundings that had been momentarily unfamiliar to her. As she sat, her head began to swim and nausea threatened. She willed it down and rang for the nurse. She didn't recognize the dark face when the woman pulled the curtain aside.
"Yes Madam President? Can I get you anything?"
"Where is everyone? No one's come by to let me know what's going on," she said, a mite petulantly.
The nurse coughed discreetly, hiding a smile. "It's three am and I would assume everyone's sleeping."
"Oh." Laura blinked rapidly. Surgery, and the subsequent sleepiness, had caused her body's natural sleep cycle to be thrown off; she was obviously out of tune with everyone else now. "Well I'd like to talk to someone in the morning to find out what's been happening in my absence."
By someone she'd meant Bill. The nurse understood. "I'll let the Admiral know you need to see him first thing," she answered.
Laura inclined her head almost regally. "Thank you." Then, as an afterthought she added, "You don't happen to have anything to read, do you? I'm not sleepy."
The woman smiled and nodded. "I think I can find just the thing for you."
Within minutes Laura was deep into a cheap romance novel, the kind she'd never have been caught reading back on Caprica. Five minutes later she was fast asleep, book dropped, forgotten, into her lap.
* * * * * * * * * *
The room was spartan and cold, as all unoccupied rooms on Galactica were, but her presence made it warmer and more cheerful.
"You have questions," she said with a smile, love and wisdom shining in her eyes. They were beautiful when she smiled, despite being heavily lined with crows feet. "That's only natural," she continued. "I have the answers."
Adama pulled the lone chair over to the bed and sat facing her. "Why did you have to leave all those years ago?" he asked without preamble.
"I had others to tend to. Much as I loved you, I had an entire race of people to take care of and guide."
"That took precedence over me?" He couldn't help the note of childish petulance that crept into his voice.
"It had to." Her mouth tightened and the lines around it grew. "I had to think of the future, of where humanity and Cylons would end up. It was of paramount importance for me to build a world where my children's children's children could live in peace."
"How did you know there would be war?"
She chuckled dryly. "Come child, you don't really think this is the first time it's happened do you? The cycle has repeated more times than I can count."
He was incredulous. "Have you been alive for all of them?"
"Goodness no, that would be thousands of years. I've witnessed three cycles but the memories of what came before that time were implanted in me by my predecessor."
"Who was your predecessor?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? I find that hard to believe."
She sat forward slightly. "It's the truth. Humanity is a terribly self-destructive species. Over and over they've created artificial lifeforms only to have those lifeforms eventually destroy them. My synthetic brain was made before the end of the last cycle and I was given the memories of what had happened before in an attempt to try to stop it from happening again. I ended up witnessing it twice without realizing what I needed to do, but eventually I learned that I had to create others like me and find ways to integrate them into society."
"And it worked?"
"Exceptionally well. No one, including those I created, ever suspected they were anything other than fully human."
"So if it worked so well, what went wrong?"
She sighed wistfully and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I met your father. He was a very special man. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him if I could, perhaps even have a family with him if it was possible."
"Me," Adama whispered.
She nodded. "It was perfect," she said just as softly. "Absolutely perfect. I'd never been happier. I had a wonderful partner and a beautiful child - that I wasn't even sure I could ever have - life was perfect. I could have stayed there forever."
"So why didn't you?"
She reached a hand out suddenly and caressed his rough cheek with an equally rough hand. "It started again." She gulped. "Someone began to create artificial, sentient lifeforms. The other Cylons. I saw the warning signs and knew I had to take as many of my people as I could and find a place for us to live peacefully and safely. I wanted to take you with me ... " She stopped.
"Why didn't you?"
Tears glistened in her eyes and a couple slid down her cheeks. "I couldn't take care of you and do my work. I knew your father would take care of you ... "
"It wasn't easy for us."
"I know. I wish it could have been different but I saw the fall of humanity coming and knew he would prepare you and make sure you were strong enough to survive it. I did my part at the other end, getting ready for the reunion when you were forced to flee out into space."
"You knew all of this was going to go down the way it did?"
"There was always the chance it could be averted, but every other cycle had ended the same way. I had to do something different to try to break it."
"I guess the people of Earth didn't exactly behave the way you expected them to," he said, eventually, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.
"I had hopes ... but I saw their tendency for violence as well. I suspected we may have had to leave Earth one day so I made a contingency plan for that, but I'd hoped that it would work out. Earth was a beautiful planet and we enjoyed living on it for many years."
Adama drew in a deep breath and asked the question he was afraid to. "So where are we going now that Earth is no longer an option?"
"Terra Nova."
~ TBC ~
