Chapter 33
Choices
Following the escape of four detainees from the military prison in Sovana, one subsequently died of wounds sustained during the escape, and two later died in a shoot-out with the military in the mountains northwest of the city. One escapee remained at large and rumors of his whereabouts fueled several urban legends, the most persistent being that he worked in the household of a wealthy Sovana industrialist, although two investigations failed to turn up any such connection. Over the next two years his stream of consciousness narratives of his life in a refugee camp and as part of the resistance became one of the most frequently-visited pages on a popular internet journaling site. He published under the pseudonym of Martin Spiller, a young man who had died in the Cylon bombing of Sovana.
-Bartell, History of the Second Cylon War
.
As soon as the waiter took their orders and menus at the restaurant Saturday evening, John took an eight by ten piece of paper out of his inside coat pocket, unfolded it and handed it to Laura.
"What do you think? Does that look like the girl you saw in the camp? Does that look like Kara?"
Laura took the sheet of paper and thoughtfully studied the picture. John took a wallet-sized photograph out of his billfold and handed it to her as well. "This is Kara at ten years old. This photo is what the private detective scanned into his software to age her."
Laura compared the photograph and the picture. Ten-year-old Kara had long, pale blond hair. The picture that had been aged had straight, shoulder-length hair.
"The hair is wrong," Laura finally said. "Not wrong, but different. The girl I remember from the camp had a layered haircut and it was still blond, but not this light."
"The rest of it, though, her face, what do you think?"
"Very much like I remember. She's a beautiful young woman, John."
"I'm prejudiced because she's mine, but I think so, too. I'll ask the detective to change the hair and we'll go with it. Layered hair and darker blond. He's asked for something else. I told him Billy might be able to get it and might not."
"There's no harm in asking. What does he need?"
"He's asked if you could get a list of the people who were on the buses from the refugee camp who didn't go to government housing. Anything you can get would help. He agrees with you that Kara and Karl are probably living with someone else, probably someone older who has the utilities in his or her name. It's either that or they're on the street. We're not going to go there yet."
"I'll see what I can do on Monday." She handed the pictures back to John. "What does the detective think the chances are of finding her?"
"Not good with the information we've got at the present time. That's why he wants the list of those who didn't go to government housing. He thinks she's either with someone on that list or has been. If he can find that person then he said he's a giant step closer to finding her."
"Remember what Hugh Connelly told us, too, that he saw her friend Karl with two young people, possibly cousins. If your detective can find cousins then that would be a good starting place."
"I'll tell him that."
"John, I know this is going to work out somehow. I just know it."
He smiled. "I hope you're right."
"How was your first full week as a government pilot?"
"Copilot. I lost all my seniority when I made the change, but that's okay. I don't mind sitting in the right-hand seat, especially on a ship that's not about to fall apart. I made one flight to Delphi with a Captain Sayers and one to Antioch with a Captain Russo."
She smiled. "I know Captain Russo. I'll probably see him soon. After not having to go out of town for a month, I've got two trips coming up in the next two weeks. Next Friday I go to Antioch for the dedication of a park to honor the victims of the flu epidemic in the camp. And the Friday after that I go to Sovana for the opening of a new school."
"You've got no business going to Sovana."
"I understand from Bill that there has been some trouble up there with a small group of terrorists who were captured, but that has nothing to do with why I'm going."
"It doesn't matter. You're a member of the government. The government isn't too popular in Sovana right now. Does Bill know you're scheduled to go up there?"
"I had no reason to mention it to him."
John sat without saying anything for a moment. "Bill is tired and stressed, isn't he?"
"Yes. He's got so much on him. His job alone is enough, but add the other thing he's working on and I wonder that he's holding it all together. Then on top of that Lee called from Sovana and…"
"Lee's in Sovana now? Where?"
"Major Parker took him up there as part of his team to question the suspects. They're at the military prison. It seems there was a young man in the group, a fifteen-year-old boy, and Lee…"
"Excuse me a minute, Laura. I'll be right back." He got up and went in the direction of the men's room. He was gone almost ten minutes. When he got back he seemed distracted. "Sorry. I ran into someone I know and stopped to chat. You were saying that Lee's in Sovana and something about a fifteen-year-old."
"A young terrorist. He and his comrades are going to be turned over to the Cylons for torture and execution. Bill said it couldn't be stopped."
"That's a shame. Fifteen is too young to be involved in something like that. You shouldn't go to Sovana, Laura. You really should cancel that trip. It's too dangerous."
"I can't back out now. This has been planned for several months. It's the dedication of an elementary school. The children are putting on a show for me. I can't let them down."
"At least ask President Adar for increased security."
"I'll have a Marine escort just like I had every time I visited one of the camps."
"Okay, that makes me feel better," John said.
"Everything will be fine . Stop worrying about me."
He smiled. "I can't help it." His mobile phone must have vibrated because he took it out. "Sorry, I've got to take this call." He got up and walked toward the men's room again. He was gone five or six minutes. When he came back he acted distracted again.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing is wrong. It's just a friend of mine. He's having some domestic problems."
She looked directly at him. "That's the first time since I met you that I know you've lied to me. Is it a woman? Not that I have any right to ask, but…"
"No! You're the only woman in my life...the only woman I want in my life."
Laura thought of Elosha's words. She thought of her own fear. Tonight had just confirmed it. She was afraid he would hurt her. She was afraid he had already started seeing someone else. She wanted to believe him, but a tiny, nagging doubt crept into her heart and settled there. Bill had tried to warn her, hadn't he? What had he said exactly? John is a good man. I just don't think he's the right man for you. He'd offered no explanation, but she knew he wouldn't have said it without having a good reason.
Maybe it was her fear and anger at herself for feeling it, or maybe it was his determination to show her what was between them, but their lovemaking that night was hotter and more passionate than it had ever been. She was aggressive and almost rough with him as she pushed him back on her bed and mounted him, finally carrying both of them over the brink in a wild finish. It was so intense and good, that afterward she cried.
John obviously didn't understand why she was crying. "Did I hurt you? I didn't mean to. I would never hurt you. I…"
"You didn't hurt me," she managed to choke out. "I cry all the time now. Thank Cavil for that."
John held her tightly against him. "Gods, you scared me. I thought…I don't know what I thought other than I'd hurt you."
"Stay with me tonight. Please. Don't leave."
He gently pushed her hair off her forehead. "You mean that? You aren't worried about your reputation?"
"If you're not worried about yours."
He smiled. "The only thing I'm worried about is that I'm going to wake up one morning and find I've dreamed this whole thing."
She snuggled against him and felt the tiny nagging doubt recede. She might have been able to overcome her doubt completely had it not been for what happened early the next morning. She awoke just before five o'clock and realized that she was cold. John wasn't in the bed with her. The bathroom door was open, the room dark. He wasn't in there. Quietly she got up, put on her robe and padded barefoot down the hall. The den was quiet and dark also, but she saw him in the moonlight out on the terrace. He was talking on his mobile phone. The friend with the domestic problem? No, he had lied about that. She knew it was something else. What would John be so secretive about except a woman? She had tried to prepare herself for this and it still hurt.
Quietly she went back to her bedroom and crawled into bed. The nagging doubt returned with a vengeance, the fear so strong that it made her feel sick.
...
Across town Kara lay on the couch in front of the television in Tory's apartment. She was wrapped in a blanket and was alternately dozing and watching the Caprica City News Network's twenty-four hour news station. CCNN Channel 24 so far had nothing about Sovana. She had roused at four o'clock and watched for nearly twenty minutes and now at five forty-five she was awake again. She would have to take a shower and be ready to leave for work by 6:15.
She was just about ready to turn off the television and head for the shower when the Breaking News banner scrolled across the bottom of the screen. She saw an aerial shot of what looked like a brightly-lit prison complex. There was a residue of smoke drifting across the picture but it didn't look like anything was on fire.
She turned up the volume. The announcer said, "This just in from our sister station in Sovana. Last night several prisoners escaped from the military prison on the outskirts of the city. No word yet on how many prisoners or what crimes they were accused of committing. According to a military spokesperson, several guards were killed in the escape as well as several of the prisoners. All commercial transportation out of Sovana has been shut down until further notice and all major roads are blocked. Checkpoints have been established and all vehicles are being searched before being allowed out of the city. We'll keep you posted as further information is obtained. Back to you, Stewart."
Kara let out the breath she was holding. Lee was all right. The only casualties mentioned were guards and prisoners.
She wondered if Frogman was as happy as she was with the outcome of the Blue Dog.
…
Lee stood outside MediFirst like he had done on Sunday night two weeks earlier only this time he didn't feel like he was stalking Carrie Warner. He was there to thank her and he hoped she would realize it. The fact that she risked calling him told him a great deal about her feelings.
Kara saw him almost as soon as she exited the building. She walked over to him.
"I'm glad you're okay."
"I had to thank you in person. I probably wouldn't have been at the prison at 03:00, but you didn't know that. I realize what you risked calling me like that."
"I used Zak's phone."
"Still…"
She started walking toward the subway and Lee fell into step beside her. "I watched the news during my lunch break today. Was it anyone you knew who got killed?"
"No. The boy I had been questioning got away."
"Boy?"
"He was fifteen years old. He was in one of the camps."
"Which one?"
"The one near Sovana. I'd already heard that it was bad in the early days."
"I was lucky. I didn't have to go to the camp at first."
Lee was surprised. "You didn't? Where did you go?"
Kara realized she had made a mistake and covered it. "For a while my friend and I hung out in a house that hadn't been destroyed. We didn't go to the camp until some soldiers made us go. What happened to the boy?"
"He sold himself for food and water and shelter. He was twelve when it started."
Kara took a deep breath. The thought made her sick.
"I met a girl when I was first there who said she could trade sex for cigarettes. Later I found out there were girls…and boys, too…who traded sex for things they wanted."
"A black market?"
"Yeah. There wasn't anything you couldn't get if you had enough cubits, even guns."
"There's always someone who will try to make a profit off other people's misfortune and misery."
They reached the entrance to the subway and went down the steps. Kara made a decision. "Come on. Let's go back to where I'm staying. We'll stop by a takeout place and get something to eat."
Lee could hardly believe what she had just said. "You're sure?"
"Don't get any ideas. This isn't a date, but we've both got to eat."
Lee grinned. "Okay."
The restaurant where they got the takeout was small, the food mostly soft cooked noodles and steamed vegetables.
"It's cheap," Kara said by way of explanation.
Back at Tory's apartment, Lee had a similar reaction to Karl's. He whistled low. "Not bad. This is yours?"
"Nope. I'm sitting for someone. She's in Kinsdale for a couple of months."
"And after that?"
"I'm going to get my own place. It won't be this nice. My best friend will probably move in with me for a few months. He's applied to go to the Academy. He took the test this past week. I think I'm going to take it in April or May."
Lee smiled. "That's great."
Kara led him to the kitchen and they sat at the small table. She got the bottle of wine and poured the last two glasses from it.
"Bon appétit," Lee said as he raised the glass.
"What?"
"To fine dining…with a friend."
"I'll drink to that."
He watched her turn up the glass. There was something extremely sensual about the way the glass connected with her lower lip. He imagined his lips there.
Come on, Lee, you can't start thinking about that.
"So tell me about the boy that you questioned. Was he a member of the resistance?"
"I can't talk about an on-going investigation, Carrie, even with you."
"It's not like I'm a member of the resistance or anything like that," she snickered slightly. "Did he talk to you?"
"A little."
"You're good at your job, aren't you?"
Lee thought of Neil Speigel. "I felt sorry for him…feel sorry for him. Maybe he could tell."
"Do you feel sorry for me?"
"Yes and no. I'm sorry that you lost your parents and your family, but you've done a lot better with your life than Neil did. At least you're not some resistance member's lap dog."
Kara got up and took their empty plates to the sink. She stood for a few moments thinking about what Lee had just said. She'd had Karl and they'd met Jared and Maggie. Life in the camp had been hard, but she'd been lucky, too. Without them she might have ended up like the boy Lee had questioned.
She felt Lee's hands on her shoulders. "Are you all right?" He asked gently.
She knew what was going to happen if she turned around. She was going to look into his blue eyes and they were going to kiss. She stood waiting…deciding. But then she'd known what was going to happen the minute she'd asked him to come back with her.
She turned and looked into his eyes. Some things were simply meant to be.
Their kiss was exactly like she remembered…gentle, almost hesitant at first…a question…a whisper. And then as she gave herself to it, it deepened.
His arms tightened around her and he said. "I'd better go. If I stay, you know what I'll want to do."
"Maybe I want it too."
"Are you sure, Carrie?"
Her answer was to kiss him again. Some things were meant to be.
She considered that night their first real time together. She wasn't in bed with Prince Olliver and he wasn't in bed with his dream girl from the decompression chamber. They were Lee and Kara, only for him they were Lee and Carrie. It was only a name, but she still hated the deception. She almost told him, but as he slowly undressed her, kissing every part of her skin that he exposed, she forgot about telling him anything and let herself feel, simply feel all the sensations his lips were evoking.
There was nothing hesitant about him this time, either, when she was finally ready and wanted him to finish the spiraling desire he had ignited in her. He claimed her in an act that was at the same time gentle and yet filled with passion.
He had come back alive from Sovana. He had come back to her. Everything in their lives since they had met kept bringing them together.
She realized that in trying to stay away from him she was fighting something she shouldn't be fighting. She was trying to stop a part of her destiny. Even the Oracle had said Lee was her true love.
Some things were simply meant to be.
...
"You're going to do what?" Laura said to her secretary on Monday morning as Adele stood smiling in front of her desk.
"I'm getting married."
Laura had the beginnings of a headache and she felt slightly nauseous. She was afraid she was coming down with a virus.
"Dear gods, when did all this happen?"
"I've been a widow for nearly four years now," Adele said testily.
"I just meant that I didn't even know you were dating anyone."
"I try to keep my private life out of work."
"Does Billy know?"
"I plan to tell him next. I'm also turning in my resignation. I'm fifty-eight years old. I've worked for the government for thirty-two of those years. I'm retiring."
Laura's stomach lurched and she swallowed hard. "Oh, Adele, what am I going to do without you?"
"Hire someone to replace me."
"No one can replace you. No one. When are you leaving?"
"We're getting married in two months, in early May. I'm giving you a month's notice. That should be ample time to find a replacement."
"You have my congratulations, Adele. I really am very happy for you."
Laura picked up the phone and buzzed Billy's desk. When he answered she asked him to come into her office.
Billy seemed far less surprised about Adele's announcement than she was. She had always suspected that the two of them talked about their personal lives to each other. After all, Adele was old enough to be Billy's mother, and he had lost his own when Picon was destroyed.
After he had congratulated Adele and she had gone back to her desk, Laura asked Billy to get a list for her of the refugees on the first group of buses to reach Caprica City who had not gone to any type of government housing. He brought her the list just before lunch. Her head felt better and the nausea had abated. She wasn't getting sick after all.
"There must be a hundred people on this list," Laura said in dismay.
"There's a hundred and six to be exact. There were apparently more people on the first trip who had already made arrangements to live elsewhere."
"Thank you for getting this. John will thank you too, I'm sure."
"What do you think about Adele?"
"Shocked. Completely shocked. Not that I'm sad for her. I'm very happy, but she just seemed…I don't know…so devoted to her husband. I remember how distraught she was when he died, how difficult a time she had getting her life back together. And now…" her voice trailed off.
"She's moved on," Billy said. "Most people do. If I can get anything else for you and John, let me know. I'd really like to think I helped him find his daughter."
"Do me a favor if you will and call down to Personnel. Tell them to see if they have any current applications on file that would fit my needs. If not, I guess they'd better post the job."
He left and Laura once again sat mulling Adele's news.
She thought of Elosha's words. We can keep the love of our youth in a special place in our hearts and still love another in our…maturity. Perhaps there is no need to completely let go of one in order to love the other. Elosha's words had been meant for Laura's situation, but could they not be said of Adele's situation also?
Laura put the list of a hundred six names in her briefcase. She would give it to John tomorrow night. He was on an overnight flight today to the Cloud Nine, a luxury space liner, taking three members of the Quorum of Twelve to a conference. He would be back tomorrow and Friday she hoped that he would be with Captain Russo as his copilot when she flew to Antioch for the park's dedication ceremony.
After John's mysterious early morning phone call on Sunday, he had seemed to be back to himself. They had a wonderful day. They went to the same park where she had met him several months earlier. It was also where she had jokingly told him to kiss her and he hadn't done it. He made up for it several times over on their walk. They'd had dinner and then he had said he needed to leave because of his early morning flight.
Once again she let herself start believing that her doubts had been foolish.
...
Monday evening Lee met his father for dinner in the city. Zak was working the noon until nine p.m. shift at Bull's Eye. His mother hadn't wanted to drive in to meet them. But after what had happened in Sovana, Lee felt a need to connect with his family. He was glad his father could meet him even if the others couldn't.
During the course of the meal he told his father about the trip and much of what had transpired. The only thing he omitted was the call from Carrie. Bill had been briefed late that afternoon by Agent Darren.
"The military has tracked them as far as the town of Triere just before the S-12 goes through the Nikita Pass into the mountains. Apparently one of the terrorists was wounded in the prison escape. They stopped and got a doctor to try to save him but it was too late. He'd lost too much blood. They left his body behind and went on."
"Which one?" Lee asked, the dread evident in his voice.
"We don't know his name."
"Not the boy."
"No, not the boy. The doctor said there were only three men, the wounded man and two other adults. He never saw a boy."
That news left Lee with mixed feelings. Had they left Neil Speigel behind for some reason? And if so, where? Had he, too, been wounded and died? Or had Neil left them? Lee wondered if he would ever know.
Bill went on. "The President is considering declaring martial law and sending the military into Sovana to try to stop what's happening up there."
"The President is considering letting the military occupy one of our own cities? Impose a curfew? Suspend habeas corpus?"
"Considering it, yes. He hasn't made a decision yet. One more incident is about all it will take. When he asked my opinion, I told him I thought it was a good idea."
"Don't you think that will just incite more violence?"
"We've got to reign in the resistance. If we can't, my plan doesn't stand a chance. The Cylons will destroy us before we can carry it out. I met with Tom Zarek this morning. He was released from prison on Saturday. He's leaving with his men and some worker centurions for the tylium mines on Tauron early next week. He doesn't know about my plan. I don't trust him that much, but he's helping us and he's willing to take the risk."
"John and I have talked about that several times. You know Zarek is the reason John and Kara got separated. John doesn't trust him at all. He can't believe that Zarek's heart is in the right place. He thinks that Zarek has an ulterior motive behind what he's doing. He thinks Zarek may even have political ambitions of his own."
"He probably does," Bill said tiredly.
"And you're still letting him do it?"
"My plan depends on getting that tylium. We need it for our ships. And John is right. Zarek isn't doing this out of charity. He's being extremely well paid. But I don't know of any other way to get what I need. I'm not above making a deal with the devil to get what I want and rid Caprica of the Cylons."
When they parted company outside the restaurant that night, Lee said, "Take care of yourself, Dad. You look tired."
Bill Adama smiled. "There will be plenty of time to rest when Caprica is free." He stopped and fished in his pocket for his father's cigarette lighter and used it to light a small cigar. "This was in the things that your grandfather's law office sent over to me after he died. He always left it there so he would have it to take into court with him. He swears he never lost a case as long as he had this lighter with him."
"His good luck charm," Lee said. "He showed it to me three years ago when I spent those four weeks going to court with him."
"It will be yours one day. In fact when you fly your first mission against the Cylons, you'll be carrying this lighter."
"Then we can't lose," Lee said lightly.
On his way back to his apartment that night, he thought of Carrie as he had for most of the day. Last night had been so much of a surprise that he still thought he had dreamed it. His feelings for her were growing.
As he'd held her the night before, he had finally asked her the question that had been on his mind since she'd asked him to go back to Tory's apartment with her. Why had she changed her mind about them? Her answer had surprised him both in its simplicity and the unhesitating way she had said it.
Because it's wrong to fight something that's meant to be.
...
Laura stood at the sink in her bathroom trying to brush her teeth and feeling sick for the third morning that week. Very slowly she looked at her reflection in the mirror as the thought first formed in her mind and was rejected with a resounding no. Still…still…what if? Not possible. No. No. No.
For the entire two years that she and Hayden had been married, they had used no birth control and she hadn't gotten pregnant. She knew the problem had to be with her because Hayden had fathered three children with his first wife. Even though they had never discussed it, there was no doubt whatsoever in her mind that she was the one with the problem.
She was not pregnant. She couldn't be. She had a virus. That's all it was and yet…when was her last period? Think, Laura, think. She finally remembered a day or two of light spotting a few days after she and John had gotten back from their trip to the islands, but did that even count?
She walked into her closet. Now that the thought had taken root in her mind, though, everything seemed to confirm it. Was her bra just a little tighter, the button on her skirt a little harder to fasten?
She was an intelligent, educated woman. She would do the smart thing and prove her fear completely groundless. That morning on the way to work she had her driver stop at a discount pharmacy. She went inside and found the aisle where the pregnancy tests were located. She didn't want to spend any time reading labels so she picked up one that she had seen advertised on television and then went through the self-pay checkout line, feeding a twenty-cubit note into the machine and picking up her change. Back in the car, she put the test in her briefcase still wrapped in the bag.
In her office she transferred the test to the bottom drawer of her desk. Several times that morning she opened the drawer a few inches and looked at it as if it were a snake that might suddenly spring out and bite her. If she were so sure that she couldn't be pregnant, why was she afraid to simply take the test into her private bathroom and follow the instructions?
Are you all right?" Adele asked.
Laura jumped and slammed the drawer before she looked up. "I'm fine."
"You look very pale. Are you sure?"
"I think I might have picked up a bug. I feel a bit nauseous."
"You felt sick on Monday, too."
"That's because you told me you were leaving."
"Should I make an appointment with your doctor for you?"
"No, let me see how I feel in a few days."
Adele gave her a knowing look. "Don't wait too long."
As soon as Adele left, Laura took the test from the drawer and went into the bathroom. The test said first thing in the morning was best, but now would have to do. She followed the instructions and waited. The indicator turned blue.
She went back out to her desk and sat down. Everything felt completely different now that she knew. She picked up her phone and buzzed Adele. "Please call Caprica University and see if Dr. Hayden Church is available. He's head of the Education Department."
A few minutes later Adele called her. "He's in a meeting, but his secretary said she would leave him a message to call you as soon as he gets out."
"Thank you." She hung up and waited.
She and Hayden had engaged in unprotected sex for the whole two years of their marriage and nothing had happened. She'd had unprotected sex with John for barely two months and gotten pregnant. How could something have been wrong with her when she was ten years younger and much more fertile and have suddenly fixed itself now when her fertility was beginning to wane? She'd lied to John albeit unknowingly. She'd told him nothing could happen, that she couldn't get pregnant. He'd trusted her and…oh gods. How would she tell him?
The phone rang. Adele said, "Dr. Church is on the line."
"Hayden," Laura said sweetly, "have you had lunch?"
"As a matter of fact I haven't. Are you asking?"
"Yes, I am," she said. "I have something I need to discuss with you."
"Pertaining to the religion course the Cylon is going to teach?"
"I'll tell you when I see you. I'll come to your office and we can walk to Cheddars."
"Just like we used to do."
"Yes, I'm in the mood for a walk down memory lane today. I'll see you in thirty minutes."
She hung up and began to wrack her brain for the name of a good defense attorney in case she had a moment of anger-fueled insanity and killed her ex-husband. She'd just thought of a possible reason why he might not have been able to get her pregnant. And if it were true…oh gods…if it were true, she would want to murder him.
...
Kara was sitting in the break room eating lunch. She was still packing a sandwich and bringing it to work with her. Tory wasn't charging her anything for the utilities but she wasn't paying her anything to apartment-sit either. The more money she saved now the easier it would be to get her own place in a month or two when Tory came back from Kinsdale.
Her mind kept wandering to the previous night with Lee. Something had changed in her regarding her feelings about them being together. What had seemed completely impossible and wrong a month ago now seemed so completely right.
They had both changed. She now had more tolerance for his position in the military, and he seemed to better understand her sympathies for the resistance.
Her mobile phone buzzed. She hadn't expected another call from Frogman so soon. Maybe she was going to get a dinner from Mrs. Peele after all.
"Hello."
"Sassy. How does your schedule look for Wednesday night?"
"I'm off Wednesday. So I'm clear."
"Be at Zeno's at seven. You're going to meet someone."
"Mrs. Peele?"
"Tom Zarek."
Kara took a deep breath. "Does he know he's meeting me?"
"I decided not to mention who or what the meeting is about. I feel like he'll be more honest if you confront him out of the blue, so to speak."
"Okay."
"You understand I'm going to have to search you for weapons. It won't be anything personal, but I can't take a chance. He's too important to the cause right now."
"I understand. I won't be armed. I just want to talk to him."
"Meet me at Zeno's then."
"I'll be there."
Frogman ended the call.
...
"Laura," her ex-husband said. "You look beautiful."
"Hayden," she allowed him to take both of her hands in his and lean forward to kiss her on the cheek.
"This is a complete surprise. Not that I'm complaining, but what prompted you to call me?"
She closed the door to his office and turned around. She forced a smile. "Where do I begin?"
He immediately picked up something in her voice. After all, they had been married for two years and had dated for a year before that. "Why do I not like the sound of that question?"
"I'm pregnant," she blurted.
She could tell he was startled, but he recovered quickly. "Congratulations. I had no idea you'd married again."
"I haven't."
"You don't appear to be happy. Is this unwelcome news?"
"How can I be pregnant, Hayden?"
"I wouldn't have thought that needed an explanation from me. You usually get that way by having sex with a man…"
"Don't you dare mock me," she said, her voice rising and beginning to tremble.
"I'm not mocking you," he said in a contrite tone. "I was trying to make a joke, but it's obviously not humorous to you. I'm sorry."
"We were married for two years. We never used birth control. Why did I not get pregnant then?"
"This has nothing to do with wanting to have lunch with me, does it?"
"No, it does not. I deserve an honest answer from you. Answer my question, please. Why didn't I get pregnant while we were married? We certainly had sex enough, especially in the beginning."
He looked out the window. "Shortly after my third child was born I had a vasectomy."
It was all Laura could do not to scream at him. She knotted her hands into fists and said through clenched teeth. "And you didn't think that little detail was worth mentioning to me at some point during our marriage?"
"We never talked about having children of our own. I made it very clear that I was satisfied with the family I already had and you had your career. You were so intent on building your career at the time. You never mentioned wanting children so I never thought I was deceiving you."
"Oh…dear…gods," Laura said. She was beginning to tremble. "Because of you I have lied to someone who trusted me, and now look at the predicament I'm in. I'm the Secretary of Education, for the gods' sakes. I'm supposed to set an example for the students of Caprica, and I'm pregnant and not married. How could you do this to me?"
"I'll admit I made a grave mistake in not telling you about my vasectomy," he said coldly, "but for you to blame your current predicament on me is ludicrous. I didn't force you to have unprotected sex with anyone. Why didn't you discuss the situation with your doctor before you embarked on an affair? Why did you just assume you could make that kind of medical diagnosis on your own?"
"Don't you dare try to shift all the blame to me! Don't you dare!"
She felt tears sting her eyes and grabbed some tissues from the box on his desk. Maybe Cavil wasn't the only one responsible for her emotional state. Maybe the tiny cluster of cells that would one day become a child had something to do with it, too.
She dabbed at her eyes. "What am I going to do?"
"What do you want to do?" He asked in a kinder tone of voice. "Do you want to marry the baby's father?"
"We've only been seeing each other for a few months. We barely know each other."
"You didn't answer my question."
"I don't know the answer myself." She went to the door and opened it. "We'll skip lunch if you don't mind. It would probably just come back up anyway."
"I'm sorry, Laura. I'm really very sorry. My sin was one of omission. I should have told you."
"Yes," she said. "You should have."
"Please take care of yourself."
She left without saying anything else. She had told her driver that she would call him when she was ready to return. Instead she walked to the edge of campus and flagged a transport. She had him drop her at Elosha's temple.
For the second time in less than a week she walked up the steps and past the fluted marble columns. This time she wasn't alone inside. There were several other worshippers already there. Elosha stood at the front in her turban headdress and robe. She looked up as Laura sat down.
Laura sat there for a long time letting the calm atmosphere of the temple seep into her. Finally Elosha walked over.
"You've returned. Are you still searching for an answer?"
"My problem just got much more complicated," Laura answered. "I need some spiritual advice."
"Come with me," Elosha said. "We'll go to a quieter and more private chamber."
Laura followed the priest through a door beside the altar and into a room that contained almost no furniture. There were large cushions on the floor and a small table that held miniature statues of the gods and goddesses. There were small candle-shaped lamps along the walls of the room.
"Please sit," Elosha said.
Laura removed her shoes and sat on one of the plump cushions. After she sat she clasped and unclasped her hands several time.
"You're very troubled today," Elosha said.
"I'm pregnant."
"This is not welcome news for you?"
"No. It's terrible news."
"A baby shouldn't be terrible news. Are you thinking of terminating the pregnancy? Is that your dilemma?"
"Dear gods, no. I know that politically I support a woman's right to make that choice with her own life, but I could never make that choice for myself."
"Why, then, is it terrible news?"
"I'm the Secretary of Education and I value my job. I think I've made a difference to the children of Caprica and I'm going to have to resign."
"Why?"
"Can you imagine the embarrassment to President Adar when his unwed and very pregnant Secretary of Education stands in front of a group of children and tells them to abstain from premarital sex and stay in school?"
"Ah," Elosha said again. "You have a point. Will you not marry the baby's father?"
"I don't know if he'll want to marry me."
"Would he not be a good husband?"
"I don't know. We've not known each other very long." Laura looked down at her clenched hands. "Our relationship is very…physical. I think there's something else there, but we haven't been together long enough to know."
"Eros," Elosha said pointing to one of the small statues on the table and then to another. "And Aphrodite…the physical and romantic sides of love. They each have a place in our lives. Would he be a good father?"
"Yes, I think he would be a very good father. He has a daughter. He loves her more than anything."
"Then he must be a part of your child's life. Even if you don't want him as a husband, you can't deny him the role of father."
"I didn't say I don't want him as a husband. I don't know if he'll want me as a wife. He's never even told me how he feels about me."
"Have you told him how you feel about him?"
"I don't know exactly how I feel about him."
"Perhaps he is similarly confused. You need to talk to him."
"I know I do. I'm just going to have to pick my time. He's going to be shocked. I told him I couldn't get pregnant. He's going to think I lied to him, but at the time I honestly didn't think I could."
Elosha smiled. "The gods have a way of testing us from time to time."
"And the Secretary of Education just flunked her test. Even I can see the irony of that."
But once again Elosha had helped her see the path she must take. She had to talk to John. She had to present the facts to him and see what he said, but she also knew she had to pick her time carefully. She took comfort in the belief that she would know when the time was right.
...
It wasn't until Kara walked into Zeno's Wednesday night that she thought Lee might be there. On Sunday night they had agreed not to do anything foolish with their relationship. As much as she wanted to see him and as much as she thought he wanted to see her, they both knew that it was still dangerous for her to be associated with him, especially after Sovana. They agreed not to see each other for a week. They were going to go slow and be very careful.
He was at Zeno's though, sitting at the bar with Zak, when she walked in. She realized right away that was not good. Lee saw her first. He smiled. She wasn't very close to him but she still gave her head the smallest shake as she made her way to the booth where Frogman was waiting for her.
Lee understood immediately. He grabbed Zak's arm and said something to him. Zak looked at her and then took Lee's hand off his arm. He started in her direction. Lee stayed at the bar.
"There's a guy I know who's coming over here," Kara said to Frogman. "Who are you?"
"A friend," Frogman said.
"He might not buy that," Kara said. "No offense, but you're old enough to be my father."
Frogman smiled, one of his rare smiles. "I'm an older friend."
Zak, beer in hand, walked up to their booth. "Hey, Carrie. What's up? Who's your friend here?"
"Tom Jones," Frogman said. "And you are?"
"Zak Adama."
"Adama? Any kin to…"
"My father," said Zak. "That's my brother over at the bar." He gestured with the beer. "Wave at Lee," Zak said to Kara. "He's really shy when it comes to you. I think he likes you."
Even though she wanted to strangle Zak, Kara still smiled and waved at Lee. He waved back and gave her one of those I-tried-to-keep-him-from-doing-this looks.
"Mind if I join you?" Zak asked.
"Actually I do," Kara said. "Tom and I have something we need to talk about." When Zak kept standing at the booth, she added, "in private."
"Whoa. Is this like a date or something cause he's old enough to be your…"
She cut Zak off. "Some other time, okay?"
"Okay, cool. I just never figured you as the type who goes for older guys." Zak shrugged and headed back toward the bar.
"Where did you meet the Adama boys?"
"In here one night."
"Their father is Commander William Adama who used to command a battlestar and now advises the President."
"Really?" Kara asked nonchalantly. "I didn't talk to them all that long. So where am I going to meet Zarek?"
"At the same place you talked to Reno and Scarecrow that night. Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be to hear how my father died. I just hope he doesn't lie to me."
Outside they walked to Frogman's car. "Am I going to have to blindfold myself and lay down on the seat?"
"No. I'm going to trust you. Where do the Adama boys work?"
"Zak works at Bull's Eye…the sporting goods store."
"I know Bull's Eye. And his brother?"
"I don't remember what he said," Kara lied. "Zak did most of the talking that night. He was hitting on me."
"Lee looks military," Frogman said. "Something about the haircut and the look."
"Might be," Kara said. "I wasn't paying much attention." She was afraid that Frogman could tell she was lying. She changed the subject. "How is Jared? Does he know about tonight?"
"I didn't think it would be a good idea to discuss this with him. As to how he's doing…he's quieter than he used to be. He doesn't talk as much."
"Has he been doing any jobs for the group?"
"He's always doing jobs for the group. He monitors…I probably shouldn't be talking about what he does. You've got a good idea anyway."
"He's important to the group, isn't he?"
"Very. If we lost him, we'd lose a very valuable asset."
Frogman drove up outside an old warehouse and pressed a remote control. The door began sliding open. As soon as it had opened far enough, he drove inside and pressed the control again. The door stopped and reversed itself, shutting with a metallic sounding clunk. Kara recognized the inside of the warehouse.
She and Frogman got out of the car. "Come over here," he said. "Unzip your jacket and put your hands against the car and your legs apart. This is nothing personal, Sassy, but I'd be remiss not to do it."
"I understand." She did as he asked. She felt his hands expertly go over her body, under the jacket, over her breasts and down her sides all the way down her jeans to her ankles and then back up the inside. He searched all her pockets. He'd obviously done this before.
"I'll bet you were an MP in another life."
He didn't answer, just said, "Give me the switchblade in your boot."
She bent over, pulled the knife out of her boot and handed it to him. "I get it back, don't I? It's got a lot of sentimental value."
"You get it back," Frogman said. "Are you ready to do this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"I'm going to let you talk to him by yourself. I'll be just outside the door if you need me."
They walked up the wooden stairs against the brick wall just like they had that night two and a half months earlier. They walked down the hall. Kara's heart was pounding, her palms sweating. She rubbed them against her jeans. Frogman went through the knocking ritual and the door opened a crack just like it had the last time. She saw Reno again. He let them in. Zarek was seated on the other side of the table. There was no one else in the room.
Zarek immediately stood up. "What is this? What's going on? I thought you said we had an important meeting."
"You do," Frogman said, "with her. Reno and I will be just outside."
The two men left the room, closing the door behind them.
Tom Zarek looked a lot better than he had that night at Singer's airport. He'd put on a few pounds. His face was no longer gaunt and pale. He didn't have on the ghastly orange jumpsuit, either. He had on jeans and a dark blue windbreaker. She had to admit he was a good-looking man… not as handsome as her father, but still good-looking. Kara's mouth was so dry she could barely speak.
"Remember me?" She asked.
"That night at the airport. You're the pilot's daughter."
"John Gallagher's daughter."
"You've grown up. What is this all about? What's your connection to these men?"
"We play bingo together every Thursday night," Kara answered. "I want to know about my father." Her voice caught and she took a deep breath. "Where's his body?"
"Your father was alive and well the last time I saw him."
"You're lying. He didn't come back for me. I waited for him. I waited four frakking days. He didn't come back. The only reason he wouldn't have come back is that you killed him."
"We got intercepted by a battlestar and taken on board. When we surrendered and got off his ship, your father hit me so hard he damned near broke my jaw. It still hurts when the weather is cold and damp. If the Marines on the battlestar hadn't stopped him, he'd probably have killed me."
"But he didn't come back. He promised he'd come back for me and he didn't."
"We were on that battlestar nearly two weeks before we got sent back to Caprica and went back to prison. I never saw your father again after that night. I don't know what happened to him or where he went, but he was alive and well the last time I saw him."
Kara could hardly breathe. "Somebody told me one of your men killed a pilot. I thought…"
"One of the men in the group I escaped with shot and killed the pilot of the Astral Queen. I had no idea he was going to do it. I found out about it after the fact. Just like I found out about your father's friend after the fact. The killer is going to be in prison for the rest of his life. He deserves to be. He's a psychopath."
"Then it wasn't my dad?"
"No, it wasn't your father."
"Then he's probably somewhere here on Caprica…maybe even here in Caprica City."
"That's a fairly safe assumption to make."
"Okay," Kara said. She felt her lower lip begin to tremble and bit down hard to control it. "You'd better not be lying to me."
"I swear to you I'm not lying. Even if we'd made it to where we wanted to go that night, I was going to let your father take his ship and leave. I had no plans to kill him."
"You say that now."
"I mean it."
"But your men…one of them might have."
"No, I'd already made that clear to them. I'm not completely without a heart. John Gallagher was going back to his daughter. He would have but the Cylons attacked the battlestars. They fought for three days and nights before a truce was called. That's what stopped him from getting back for you. We were all stuck on the Galactica. What happened to you after that night?"
Kara chin came up defiantly. "I survived. That's all you need to know."
"And your friend?"
"Him, too."
"Your father said you were tough," Zarek said. "He's very proud of you."
Kara opened the door.
Reno and Frogman were standing on the other side of the hall, talking quietly. Reno was smoking a cigarette.
"My father smokes," Kara said. She looked at Frogman in the dim light. "He's alive," she said, her voice breaking. "My father is alive."
Frogman said to Reno, "Take care of getting Zarek back. I'll take Sassy." He put his arm around her and led her back to the steps and down to his car. He drove her to Tory's apartment instead of back to Zeno's. "I should have brought a handkerchief. Either way I should have known you'd need one."
Kara got herself under control and wiped her eyes with the bottom of her t-shirt. "I've got to find him."
"That shouldn't be too hard to do. He's probably in the Caprica City phone book."
"Thank you. I really mean it."
He reached in his jacket pocket and handed her the switchblade. She took it and put it back in her boot.
"Are we through talking about your father?"
"Unless you have something else to say."
"We need to talk about Lee Adama. He's on the team of interrogators that questioned you. He followed up on an incident that occurred during your interrogation. Do I need to go on?"
"How did you find out?"
"Reno has contacts. It took two phone calls while you were talking to Zarek. Stay away from the Adama brothers, Sassy. While I personally don't think you would do anything to compromise the group, we can't take the chance you might do it unintentionally. Do you understand?"
"He's sympathetic to our cause."
"You know that for a fact?"
She shrugged. "If he's not, he's a damned good liar."
"Most interrogators who are worth their salt are good liars. They have to inspire confidence and trust in their subjects."
"I know."
"We also know how you got the scar over your eye."
"My interrogator got rough with me because I said something that pushed his buttons. Lee helped me. That's how we met. I should have told you the truth when you asked me earlier."
"And now you have a romantic relationship with him?"
Kara shrugged again. "We've seen each other a couple of times."
"Do we already have a problem?"
"No. I've never told him anything. He doesn't have a clue. It's not serious. I won't see him again."
"There's another option."
"What?" Kara asked although she knew what it was.
"He's in a position to know certain facts that could be helpful to us."
"I don't understand."
"Yes, you do."
"Are you asking me to use him to get information for you?"
"For the group. It's an option. You keep seeing him, we'll expect information. Otherwise you give him up completely. I'm not asking you to make a decision tonight. Think about it."
"I've thought about it. I'll give him up. I would never use him like that."
"You care that much about him?"
"I care about what it would make me. I'll be a lookout for the group and I'll carry information for the group. I'll even be a sniper for the group, but I won't be a whore for the group."
"I'm sorry. Sassy. I've got a lot of respect for you, but you've got to understand the position this puts me in. I'm responsible for you."
"One day we'll be rid of the Cylons. One day it won't have to be this way. One day you and me and Lee can sit down at Zeno's and have a beer."
"I hope you're right."
"I know I am."
She got out of Frogman's car and walked away without looking back. Why did she get good news coupled with bad news, just when she'd thought that she and Lee could actually have a chance at happiness together?
Maybe that was what she should think about overnight. Maybe that's what she should sleep on, but even as she rode the elevator up to Tory's apartment, even as she unlocked the door and turned on the light and threw her keys on the table, even as she got the Caprica City phone book and searched in vain for the name of John Gallagher, she knew the answer. She knew she would have to tell Lee that for now they had to remain apart, and she was going to have to tell him the truth. Right now she had no other option.
She had to concentrate her efforts on finding her father, and she knew only one person who had the computer skills to help her do that. She was going to have to beg Jared for a favor and she wanted to be able to tell him with a clear conscience that she wasn't dating anyone right now.
She took out her phone and punched in Jared's mobile phone number. When he answered, the hope in his voice when he said her name made her feel sick. She had never hated herself as much as she did when she said the words.
"Hi, Jared, I need to ask you for a really big favor."