Oct 12, 2006 08:14
Chapter Fourteen
“Lee?”
Kara looked around the cave, heart thumping, peering into corners, pushing back the curtain around the washing area.
He wasn’t there.
She couldn’t understand it. Sure, she’d been lost in her thoughts, but not so distracted that he could have walked past without her noticing.
Where the hell had he gone?
“Lee!” she shouted again, angrily this time.
“Starbuck?”
Kara turned to see Racetrack at the cave entrance, looking at her curiously.
“Something wrong?”
“Lee’s disappeared. I was right outside, but when I came back in here he was gone. I can’t understand how-”
Comprehension spread across Racetrack’s face.
“Starbuck, there’s another way out of this cave,” she said gently. “Didn’t you know?”
“There is?” Kara stared at her, feeling like an idiot. “Where?”
“Over here,” Racetrack headed for the corner where Lee slept. “That’s why Lee chose this cave originally. He said he never liked sleeping anywhere that didn’t have two ways out.”
Of course. Damn Lee and his habit of planning ahead. Kara swore inwardly, furious with herself.
Now that Racetrack pointed it out, she could see it; a narrow opening in the wall, only visible when you stood directly in front of it. “Where does it go?”
“Out to the cliffside,” said Racetrack. “It’s a bit of a scramble, but you can get through, we tried it once.”
“Right,” said Kara, and squeezed into the narrow opening.
“Starbuck, what’s going on?” said Racetrack, following her. “Tigh said Roslin had given orders Lee wasn’t to leave the caves. Why?”
“Because she’s afraid he’s going to do something stupid and endanger the mission,” snapped Kara. “So am I.” Though I’m more worried he’s going to endanger himself.
As Racetrack had said, it was a scramble. But they managed, and eventually pushed their way out through a thorny bush onto the cliffside, only a few yards from the main entrance to the caves.
Kara looked around, but Lee was nowhere in sight. She tried to calculate how long it had been since she left him alone in the cave. Half an hour, maybe? Long enough for him to get a good head start.
He must be going to the town, but how would she find him when she got there? With the Cylons on the alert after Baltar’s death and probably stopping anyone who looked suspicious?
She had to try. She turned to Racetrack. “I’m going after him,” she said firmly. “You get back to the caves, tell Roslin what’s happened.”
“Starbuck!”
Kara turned in surprise at the sound of Tyrol’s voice. He was running towards them, his face pale.
“Have you seen her?” he asked, gasping for breath.
“Seen who?” asked Racetrack.
“Cally,” said Tyrol, his voice shaking. “She’s disappeared - I can’t find her anywhere.” He took a shuddering breath. “I’m afraid she’s gone to look for the baby.”
“She has,” said Kara slowly. “And Lee’s gone with her.” Everything was falling into place now.
“What? Apollo’s with her?” Tyrol gaped at her.
Kara nodded. She was sure of it. “They were having a long conversation earlier. And I overheard them talking a few nights ago - Lee was saying something about keeping a promise to her.”
“We have to go after them,” said Tyrol desperately. “The Cylons - anything could happen - I can’t lose her again!”
Kara put a steadying hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Chief. We’ll find them.”
----
Lee and Cally travelled to the town in silence. Cally was obviously worrying about how Tyrol would react to her disappearance and not in the mood for talking. She was also annoyed with Lee because he’d been an hour late meeting her by the time he finally remembered their appointment and slipped out of the caves.
Lee was relieved. His wits were too scattered for him to be able to concentrate on a conversation. The turmoil of the last few hours had thrown him completely off balance, as shown by the fact that he’d nearly forgotten about meeting Cally.
He was outwardly calm again, but inwardly he was still quaking from the aftershocks of what had happened. Between the argument with Laura, his breakdown over Ana, and his encounter with Kara, the walls he’d built around himself, weakened by Kara chipping away at them over the last few days, had finally collapsed completely. The reassuring numbness had disappeared, and feeling rushed back with a vengeance.
Though strangely it didn’t hurt as much now when he thought about Ana, and what had happened to her. It was as if that explosion of emotion had purged him in some way. Cauterised the wound.
The wound was still raw and tender though. He shook himself mentally, trying to think about something else. Unfortunately the only thing that sprang to mind was equally unsettling.
Had he really told Kara that he’d loved her? He flinched with embarrassment just thinking about it. What had possessed him to blurt that out? It was all past history now, unimportant…
Stop kidding yourself, Lee, he thought ruefully. It wasn’t past history at all. He still loved Kara, had never stopped. He’d known that from the moment he’d seen her again, from the moment she hugged him after she landed, although he’d refused to admit it to himself until now.
It was just - it had felt like he was betraying Ana in some way. He should be thinking about her, and keeping his promise to her, not about Kara.
He’d spent enough time thinking about Kara instead of Ana when she was alive. He didn’t want to betray her like that again now she was dead.
He shook the thoughts away. He needed to concentrate on Cally now, and finding her baby. He looked across at her, struck by a sudden thought.
“Does your daughter have a name?”
“Not yet.” Cally’s face set in determination. “I’ll give her one when I find her.”
----
The Cylons had increased their patrols, but Lee managed to avoid them, despite a few close calls. They’d increased security at the gate too, but fortunately he’d expected that.
The labour gang they joined this time was one that contained several resistance agents, people he’d recruited back in the early days of the occupation. They knew the routine, and when Lee signalled his presence to one of them, they moved swiftly. Two of them distracted the Centurion guards while another two slipped out of sight behind the trees, and Lee and Cally took their places. At the gate the Cylon sentries meticulously counted that the number of workers who returned was the same as the number who had left. They looked at the workers more closely than they had before, but again the resistance agents helped. They kept just ahead of Lee and Cally in the line, and one of them pretended he was ill and collapsed just as they reached the checkpoint.
Lee couldn’t help admiring the man’s commitment; he even went so far as to stick his fingers down his throat and vomit all over the Cylon sentries’ feet. In the general confusion, Lee and Cally managed to slip past.
The Cylons had increased the patrols in the streets too. It made things awkward, and it was full light by the time they reached the prison.
They were posing as cleaners. Felix had given Lee workers’ passes and the entry codes, and told him which door was least used and lightly guarded. They got in without any trouble.
They picked up mops and buckets from a cupboard, and walked casually down the corridors. There were few Cylons about at this early hour, and those that they passed barely glanced at them.
Lee tried to act as casually as possible, although his mouth was dry and his heart hammering. Just the smell of this place made him sick to his stomach. The sounds of cell doors slamming as food was delivered to the prisoners made his muscles tense with the urge to run out of this place as fast as he could.
Then he looked at Cally, and forced himself to keep calm, stay focused. He needed to concentrate on following Felix’s directions successfully.
The administrative office was exactly where Felix had said it would be. Cally closed the door and stayed behind it as Lee headed to the computer on the desk, typing in the passwords Felix had given him. He had just got into the system and was entering Cally’s name when the door opened.
One of the Doral model Cylons entered. He was reading a piece of paper, and didn’t even look up until he had closed the door behind him. He started in surprise as he looked up and saw Lee pointing his gun at him.
Then he recovered his composure and smiled. “Is that weapon supposed to frighten me? You can’t kill me; don’t you know that by now?”
“Who said anything about killing?” said Lee, as Cally stepped up behind the Cylon and used the butt of her gun to knock him out with one well-placed blow.
----
“Run this by me again,” said Kara as she and Tyrol hurried through the woods. “You planted a tracker on your wife?”
Tyrol looked uncomfortable. “I was worried about her,” he said defensively. “She’s obsessed with finding our daughter. I’ve told her time and again I’d go looking for her once the evacuation was underway, but she wouldn’t believe me. I was afraid she’d take matters into her own hands sooner or later.”
“Well, at least it means we’ll be able to find them,” said Kara. She just hoped they didn’t get into too much trouble before that happened.
Tyrol’s face set hard. “What the hell did Apollo think he was doing, taking her into the town?”
“Don’t blame Lee,” snapped Kara. “Cally does have a mind of her own, you know.”
Tyrol didn’t look convinced. “If anything happens to her, I’m going to kill him.”
Kara glared at him. “Well, if anything happens to Lee, I’m going to kill Cally.”
----
By the time Cally had bound and gagged the unconscious Cylon Lee had got into her prisoner records. He scanned the screen quickly, ignoring the twist in his stomach as he read some of the words. He knew what they’d done to her, but seeing it written down so clinically made it worse somehow.
His eyes caught the words ‘female baby’ and he stopped scrolling. Read the lines carefully.
He gasped.
Cally’s head shot up. “What is it?”
“I’ve found it,” said Lee slowly. “Who’s got your daughter.”
Colour rushed into Cally’s cheeks. Her eyes shone. “Who is it?”
Lee looked back at the screen, still not quite believing what he saw.
“It’s Boomer.”
bsg fic - promises