Title: To Die a Hero
Rating: PG
Word count: 366
Beta: none
Character: Sharon “Boomer” Valerii
Summary: She stared down the barrel of the gun, a standard Fleet-issue service revolver.
Disclaimer: This is a transformative work; no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author’s note: This was written for the
Awesome Ladies Ficathon being hosted at
ineffort’s journal for
daniisupernova’s prompt: you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. It is a slightly edited version (just a little bit of self-beta polish added) of the comment fic posted there.
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She stared down the barrel of the gun, a standard Fleet-issue service revolver. Black metal, the finish dulled so that it wouldn’t reflect light and possibly give away to the enemy the soldier aiming it. Of course, in this case, Sharon herself was the enemy, and the weapon was trained on her at point-blank range, so it might just as well have been as highly polished chrome as any Centurion. There was no way to miss it or the lethal intent in its wielder’s eyes.
Once upon a time, everything in Sharon’s life had been so clear. She knew who and what she was, what she wanted to do with her life, who she wanted to spend that life with. But then the Cylons had come back, shattering her life and her entire concept of self along with it.
As it turned out, she wasn’t who and what she’d thought she was. So many times over the past few years, she could have died a hero. Had died a hero, at least to someone. But it never stuck. And now. Now she had lived long enough to become the villain, as evidenced by the revolver and the pair of dark eyes, mirror of her own, that were trained on her now.
Sharon didn’t risk a glance at anyone else in the corridor, just kept her gaze on her sister. She was the only one who mattered, the one who had the immediate power of life and death. True death. There was no resurrection ship to bring Sharon back. Neither Athena’s hard gaze nor her gun wavered.
The words that passed between them didn’t matter. They never had. Nor were they necessary, even now. What two sisters said aloud was for those who watched and waited.
Sharon nodded slightly and her twin’s eyes softened for a microsecond as understanding flowed between them. Sharon’s only regret was that Helo couldn’t shield Hera from the sights and sounds that were about to come, the memories they would burn into her brain forever. But maybe even that was for the best; the little girl would have no illusions as to what life, true life, could bring.
Athena pulled the trigger.