BSG fic - Promises 16 / 17
Chapter Sixteen
Lee met up with Racetrack and the rest of the strike team without incident. Racetrack looked slightly surprised to see him, but accepted the change easily enough. She and Lee had worked closely together in the first days of the resistance, and she trusted him.
Precisely as planned, Laura’s flare signalled the attack, and Lee moved his men into position, ready to blow up the fence on the eastern side of the town and attack the Cylon guard post behind it. Ironically enough, it was the one next to the prison.
Just as he was about to detonate the charges there was a huge explosion. Bright light flared from the centre of the town and he had to look away, shielding his eyes. The ground shook beneath him and he nearly fell.
Lee grinned broadly.
Felix had done it. Their plan had worked.
He allowed himself one moment of jubilation before he set off his own charges and ordered the attack.
----
The plan worked better than Lee had hoped. The destruction of the government building - and most of the leading Cylons with it - caused utter chaos. Without clear leadership, the Cylons scattered to defend the three strike points, largely ignoring the fleeing civilians.
It wasn’t easy. Lee’s people were pushed hard, and he started to lose them one by one. By the time they killed the last Cylon defending the guard post he only had half of his original team left. At least Racetrack was one of them, he thought selfishly.
He just hoped it had been worth it and the civilians had all been safely evacuated from this area of the town.
He grabbed Racetrack’s arm. “I’m going to find Maria.” Maria Chambers was one of the first people he had recruited into the resistance, and had been put in charge of evacuating this sector. “See if we can fall back yet. You’re in charge here.”
Racetrack nodded. Lee beckoned to two of his team to come with him. They weren’t going far; Maria should be running things from a tent only a few yards away.
Lee kept a sharp lookout as they crossed the few yards of open ground, but they reached the tent without problems.
Maria was inside, talking to several other people. They all raised their weapons as Lee lifted the tent flap, but lowered them when he called the agreed password.
“Lee.” Maria smiled at him. “What’s the situation?”
“We’ve got the guard post. What about you? Is the area clear?”
“All except for the prison.” Maria’s face was grim. “There are still prisoners in there - but also a lot of Cylons. We were just discussing what to do.”
“We can’t leave them,” said Lee flatly. His heart was hammering so loudly it almost deafened him.
Maria’s eyes were dark with sympathy. “Lee-”
“We’re not leaving them.” He held her eyes, trying to convince her. “You just concentrate on getting the prisoners out, Maria. My team will deal with the Cylons.”
Maria looked uncertain. “I don’t want to abandon anyone either, Lee, but I’m not sure we can do this.”
“We can.” They could. He would make sure of it.
Maria looked at him ruefully. “If I don’t say yes, you’ll go in alone, won’t you?”
Lee nodded. “I’ve been in that prison, Maria. I won’t leave anyone in there if there’s a chance I can get them out.”
Maria watched him for a moment longer and then sighed. “All right, Lee. We’ll do it.” Her two companions nodded.
Lee blinked, slightly surprised. “You will?”
Maria shrugged. “You’ve never led us wrong before.” Her face darkened. “And we all worked with Dee. We haven’t forgotten her.”
Lee nodded. “Neither have I.”
----
They used the same entrance he and Cally had used to get in only hours earlier. There were no windows on this side of the building, and they took a roundabout route behind the surrounding tents so the Cylons wouldn’t spot them.
Much to Lee’s amusement, the entry codes still worked. Once inside, everyone split up into the groups he had allocated - two civilians, two military - and began to search the building.
Lee and Racetrack were with Maria and a man called Joel who had been one of Dee’s recruits. They took the northern side of the building.
Lee knew the layout from the plans Felix had given him. The door in front of them led to a guardroom, with a row of cells beyond. They paused outside the door and he held Racetrack’s eyes as he counted down with his fingers. Then they burst through the door.
Lee saw a brief flash of movement to his left, and turned as one of the Doral models jumped at him. Lee fired instinctively, and the shot caught the Cylon in the shoulder. He paused slightly and then crumpled as Racetrack’s bullet took him directly through the forehead.
Lee smiled at her. “One down, Meg.”
She smiled back grimly. “Roger that.”
There was another Cylon in the corridor leading to the cells, a Biers model this time. She came running from the far end on hearing the shots. Lee waited until she was in close enough range and then signalled to Racetrack. They fired together, and the Cylon toppled to the ground.
Racetrack shouted for Maria and Joel. Lee looked at the line of heavy wooden doors. Each had a shuttered peephole at the top and a slot at the bottom to push food through. Memories swamped him and for a moment he couldn’t breathe.
“Lee?” He realised Racetrack was looking at him anxiously. “Are you okay?”
Lee took a deep breath, ignoring the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had to get a grip on himself.
“I will be,” he said fiercely, and kicked open the first cell door.
----
Only half the cells were occupied, but that was more than enough. Almost all the prisoners were people Lee knew, people he had recruited for the resistance.
There were no women like Cally. They must have been kept in another part of the building. Part of him was grateful for that. It was bad enough seeing the state the resistance prisoners were in. All had been beaten and tortured by their captors, and two were barely able to walk. Maria and Joel had to help them out.
The looks of bewilderment on their faces at the sight of their rescuers cut Lee to the heart. He could remember feeling just like that all those months ago when Felix burst into his cell. When you had resigned yourself to the fact that there was nothing left, that you were going to die, the sudden appearance of hope was too much to believe in, too much to grasp.
Racetrack shepherded the last few prisoners down the corridor as Lee checked the last cell. He kicked open the door, stepped through - and someone slammed him into the wall.
Hands went round his neck, pinning him against the rough wood. Lee choked and struggled, trying to get a grip on his attacker, but the Cylon was too strong. His hands tightened, and Lee’s vision started to blur.
Suddenly the pressure stopped.
Lee blinked, confused, as the Cylon chuckled.
“Well, well. Look what I have here. If it isn’t Apollo.”
A Leoben model. Lee knew that voice all too well.
The Cylon’s face came into focus before him, smiling.
“You just couldn’t stay away from me, could you?”
Their eyes met, and Lee knew. There was nothing to distinguish this Leoben model from any other, but at some level he knew. Without a shadow of doubt.
This was the Leoben who had tortured him. Who had killed Ana.
The fury that surged through him at that moment was fiercer than anything he’d ever known. Nothing mattered but wiping that smile off Leoben’s face, but making him pay for what he had done to Ana. And he wasn’t bound and helpless this time.
Somehow the fury gave him the strength to break the Cylon’s grip, and he hurled himself forward. Leoben staggered, and they both went crashing to the floor. They rolled around, grappling, each trying to get a grip on the other.
The blood was pounding in Lee’s ears. He launched an all-out attack on Leoben, not even trying to protect himself. He was going to kill this Cylon if it was the last thing he did.
His ferocity seemed to take Leoben by surprise. He faltered, and Lee managed to get on top of him and stay there. He got his hands round Leoben’s throat and started banging his head against the floor.
“That’s for Ana, you frakking bastard.”
He kept up the attack, blow after blow, not even noticing when Leoben’s body went lax and still beneath him and the Cylon’s eyes glazed over.
The next thing he was aware of was a hand on his shoulder. He jerked round, ready to attack.
“Lee, it’s me!” said Racetrack, taking a step back from him.
Lee stared at her, his mind slowly clearing. He’d forgotten for a moment where he was. “Meg. I have to kill him - he’s the one who killed Ana-”
She was looking at him with a mixture of horror and sympathy. “I think he’s already dead, Lee.”
Lee looked down and drew a sharp breath. Leoben’s eyes were wide and staring, and there was a sticky pool of blood spreading sluggishly from under his head. He hadn’t noticed that before.
Suddenly there seemed to be blood everywhere. It was spattered all over his clothes, and his hands were covered in it. Lee lifted his palms and stared down at them, shuddering.
Racetrack touched his shoulder again. “Lee, come on. We have to go. We’ve got all the prisoners out, and the raptors are waiting.”
Lee nodded, getting slowly to his feet as her words sunk in and memory returned. He took one last look at the Cylon sprawled on the floor.
Then he followed Racetrack outside.
----
Maria’s people and the prisoners were long gone by the time they got outside. Only the remaining members of the original strike team were waiting. There were only eight of them now, Lee saw with a pang. He pulled himself together and gave the order to head for the raptors waiting outside the town.
Luck wasn’t with them. A group of Centurions spotted them as they emerged from the gap in the town fence, and gave chase. It slowed their retreat, as they had to take turns to run and provide covering fire.
Fortunately they didn’t have far to go. With no need for concealment now, the raptor had landed only a few hundred yards away.
Lee could see the raptor crew waiting for them, and decided they were close enough to make a run for it. He waved the others on ahead of him, turning to cover them.
Suddenly he felt something strike his thigh. Pain flooded through him and his leg crumpled beneath him.
Luckily he’d fallen next to a clump of trees. He dragged himself behind them, looking down in horror at the dark stain spreading across his trousers.
He looked up. The others had nearly reached the raptor. If he didn’t move now he was going to be left behind.
He tried to drag himself upright. Every movement sent a stab of agony through his leg. Everything started to blur at the edges and he leaned his head against the tree, trying not to faint.
I don’t have to do this.
The thought was seductive. He didn’t have to do this. He could just stop. Just sit down against the tree and wait for the Cylons to come and kill him. And then this would all be over. He wouldn’t hurt any more.
He’d kept his promise to Cally.
He’d kept his promise to Ana. The colonists had escaped, and the Cylons hadn’t won. He’d killed the two people responsible for her death. Made them pay.
There was nothing to keep him from giving up now.
Or was there?
Images suddenly flooded through his head.
Felix, looking grave. I didn’t save your life in that prison just so you could throw it away.
Ana in the prison cell. She had told him not to give in. Wasn’t this just another form of giving in?
And Kara. Most of all, Kara.
I need you, Lee.
And Lee made a decision.
He wanted to live.
He wanted to see Kara again.
He was going to fight to get to that raptor.
He pulled himself upright, fighting off the agony that flooded through him, and set off towards the raptor as fast as he could go.
After a few yards he knew with a sick feeling that it wasn’t going to be fast enough. A quick glance over his shoulder showed him the Cylons were getting closer. Bullets filled the air around him. Still, he forced himself onwards. He wasn’t going to fail from lack of trying. Not any more.
Then he heard someone shout his name, and suddenly Racetrack was there beside him. She hooked his arm over her shoulders.
“Come on, Lee! We’re nearly there.”
With her helping him, his pace doubled. The raptor got closer and closer - and then suddenly they were there, and the others were hauling him inside.
“Go, go, go!” Racetrack shouted at the pilot. The hatch banged shut and within seconds they were lifting away.
After a few minutes Lee recovered his breath and looked at Racetrack.
“Thanks for coming back for me, Meg.”
She grinned at him. “No problem, Lee. You would have done the same for me.” She got out the first aid kit. “Now let’s have a look at that leg.”
----
His leg wasn’t as bad as Lee had feared. The bullet had gone through the fleshy part of his thigh, and although it hurt like hell, the bone didn’t seem to be damaged. Racetrack gave him some painkillers and bandaged it up as best she could. She even cleaned his bloody hands without comment. Then she moved on to someone else, and Lee was left to stare at the planet receding beneath him.
Thank the gods he was finally out of there. Even if they were shot down on their way to Galactica, at least he wouldn’t die on that damned planet like Ana had.
And as he thought her name he realised she was gone.
He couldn’t hear her voice. When he closed his eyes her image wasn’t there.
It still hurt to think of her. The grief and the guilt were still there, but now they were less overwhelming. He supposed it made sense. He’d kept his last promise to her; maybe now she wouldn’t haunt him any more. And he was beginning to accept that what Kara had said had been true; Ana really wouldn’t have wanted him to betray everyone else to save her. She had been braver than that.
Maybe one day he would be able to forgive himself for listening to her, for doing what she had asked of him.
Goodbye, Ana, he thought, looking down at the planet. I won’t forget you. And I kept my promise.
It felt strange, to know that it was finally done. He’d thought he would feel empty and lost, now that driving force that had kept him going for so long was gone, but he didn’t. He’d made a decision back on the planet to live, and he was going to stick to that. No looking back. No regrets.
He was going to look to the future, now that he’d accepted that he had one.
He was going to see Kara. He wouldn’t let himself think otherwise. She’d get through this safely. He had to believe that.
He needed to thank her for pushing him into living again, for getting through to him when no-one else could. Tell her he needed her as well.
He closed his eyes again, and this time it was Kara’s face that he saw.
Lee met up with Racetrack and the rest of the strike team without incident. Racetrack looked slightly surprised to see him, but accepted the change easily enough. She and Lee had worked closely together in the first days of the resistance, and she trusted him.
Precisely as planned, Laura’s flare signalled the attack, and Lee moved his men into position, ready to blow up the fence on the eastern side of the town and attack the Cylon guard post behind it. Ironically enough, it was the one next to the prison.
Just as he was about to detonate the charges there was a huge explosion. Bright light flared from the centre of the town and he had to look away, shielding his eyes. The ground shook beneath him and he nearly fell.
Lee grinned broadly.
Felix had done it. Their plan had worked.
He allowed himself one moment of jubilation before he set off his own charges and ordered the attack.
----
The plan worked better than Lee had hoped. The destruction of the government building - and most of the leading Cylons with it - caused utter chaos. Without clear leadership, the Cylons scattered to defend the three strike points, largely ignoring the fleeing civilians.
It wasn’t easy. Lee’s people were pushed hard, and he started to lose them one by one. By the time they killed the last Cylon defending the guard post he only had half of his original team left. At least Racetrack was one of them, he thought selfishly.
He just hoped it had been worth it and the civilians had all been safely evacuated from this area of the town.
He grabbed Racetrack’s arm. “I’m going to find Maria.” Maria Chambers was one of the first people he had recruited into the resistance, and had been put in charge of evacuating this sector. “See if we can fall back yet. You’re in charge here.”
Racetrack nodded. Lee beckoned to two of his team to come with him. They weren’t going far; Maria should be running things from a tent only a few yards away.
Lee kept a sharp lookout as they crossed the few yards of open ground, but they reached the tent without problems.
Maria was inside, talking to several other people. They all raised their weapons as Lee lifted the tent flap, but lowered them when he called the agreed password.
“Lee.” Maria smiled at him. “What’s the situation?”
“We’ve got the guard post. What about you? Is the area clear?”
“All except for the prison.” Maria’s face was grim. “There are still prisoners in there - but also a lot of Cylons. We were just discussing what to do.”
“We can’t leave them,” said Lee flatly. His heart was hammering so loudly it almost deafened him.
Maria’s eyes were dark with sympathy. “Lee-”
“We’re not leaving them.” He held her eyes, trying to convince her. “You just concentrate on getting the prisoners out, Maria. My team will deal with the Cylons.”
Maria looked uncertain. “I don’t want to abandon anyone either, Lee, but I’m not sure we can do this.”
“We can.” They could. He would make sure of it.
Maria looked at him ruefully. “If I don’t say yes, you’ll go in alone, won’t you?”
Lee nodded. “I’ve been in that prison, Maria. I won’t leave anyone in there if there’s a chance I can get them out.”
Maria watched him for a moment longer and then sighed. “All right, Lee. We’ll do it.” Her two companions nodded.
Lee blinked, slightly surprised. “You will?”
Maria shrugged. “You’ve never led us wrong before.” Her face darkened. “And we all worked with Dee. We haven’t forgotten her.”
Lee nodded. “Neither have I.”
----
They used the same entrance he and Cally had used to get in only hours earlier. There were no windows on this side of the building, and they took a roundabout route behind the surrounding tents so the Cylons wouldn’t spot them.
Much to Lee’s amusement, the entry codes still worked. Once inside, everyone split up into the groups he had allocated - two civilians, two military - and began to search the building.
Lee and Racetrack were with Maria and a man called Joel who had been one of Dee’s recruits. They took the northern side of the building.
Lee knew the layout from the plans Felix had given him. The door in front of them led to a guardroom, with a row of cells beyond. They paused outside the door and he held Racetrack’s eyes as he counted down with his fingers. Then they burst through the door.
Lee saw a brief flash of movement to his left, and turned as one of the Doral models jumped at him. Lee fired instinctively, and the shot caught the Cylon in the shoulder. He paused slightly and then crumpled as Racetrack’s bullet took him directly through the forehead.
Lee smiled at her. “One down, Meg.”
She smiled back grimly. “Roger that.”
There was another Cylon in the corridor leading to the cells, a Biers model this time. She came running from the far end on hearing the shots. Lee waited until she was in close enough range and then signalled to Racetrack. They fired together, and the Cylon toppled to the ground.
Racetrack shouted for Maria and Joel. Lee looked at the line of heavy wooden doors. Each had a shuttered peephole at the top and a slot at the bottom to push food through. Memories swamped him and for a moment he couldn’t breathe.
“Lee?” He realised Racetrack was looking at him anxiously. “Are you okay?”
Lee took a deep breath, ignoring the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had to get a grip on himself.
“I will be,” he said fiercely, and kicked open the first cell door.
----
Only half the cells were occupied, but that was more than enough. Almost all the prisoners were people Lee knew, people he had recruited for the resistance.
There were no women like Cally. They must have been kept in another part of the building. Part of him was grateful for that. It was bad enough seeing the state the resistance prisoners were in. All had been beaten and tortured by their captors, and two were barely able to walk. Maria and Joel had to help them out.
The looks of bewilderment on their faces at the sight of their rescuers cut Lee to the heart. He could remember feeling just like that all those months ago when Felix burst into his cell. When you had resigned yourself to the fact that there was nothing left, that you were going to die, the sudden appearance of hope was too much to believe in, too much to grasp.
Racetrack shepherded the last few prisoners down the corridor as Lee checked the last cell. He kicked open the door, stepped through - and someone slammed him into the wall.
Hands went round his neck, pinning him against the rough wood. Lee choked and struggled, trying to get a grip on his attacker, but the Cylon was too strong. His hands tightened, and Lee’s vision started to blur.
Suddenly the pressure stopped.
Lee blinked, confused, as the Cylon chuckled.
“Well, well. Look what I have here. If it isn’t Apollo.”
A Leoben model. Lee knew that voice all too well.
The Cylon’s face came into focus before him, smiling.
“You just couldn’t stay away from me, could you?”
Their eyes met, and Lee knew. There was nothing to distinguish this Leoben model from any other, but at some level he knew. Without a shadow of doubt.
This was the Leoben who had tortured him. Who had killed Ana.
The fury that surged through him at that moment was fiercer than anything he’d ever known. Nothing mattered but wiping that smile off Leoben’s face, but making him pay for what he had done to Ana. And he wasn’t bound and helpless this time.
Somehow the fury gave him the strength to break the Cylon’s grip, and he hurled himself forward. Leoben staggered, and they both went crashing to the floor. They rolled around, grappling, each trying to get a grip on the other.
The blood was pounding in Lee’s ears. He launched an all-out attack on Leoben, not even trying to protect himself. He was going to kill this Cylon if it was the last thing he did.
His ferocity seemed to take Leoben by surprise. He faltered, and Lee managed to get on top of him and stay there. He got his hands round Leoben’s throat and started banging his head against the floor.
“That’s for Ana, you frakking bastard.”
He kept up the attack, blow after blow, not even noticing when Leoben’s body went lax and still beneath him and the Cylon’s eyes glazed over.
The next thing he was aware of was a hand on his shoulder. He jerked round, ready to attack.
“Lee, it’s me!” said Racetrack, taking a step back from him.
Lee stared at her, his mind slowly clearing. He’d forgotten for a moment where he was. “Meg. I have to kill him - he’s the one who killed Ana-”
She was looking at him with a mixture of horror and sympathy. “I think he’s already dead, Lee.”
Lee looked down and drew a sharp breath. Leoben’s eyes were wide and staring, and there was a sticky pool of blood spreading sluggishly from under his head. He hadn’t noticed that before.
Suddenly there seemed to be blood everywhere. It was spattered all over his clothes, and his hands were covered in it. Lee lifted his palms and stared down at them, shuddering.
Racetrack touched his shoulder again. “Lee, come on. We have to go. We’ve got all the prisoners out, and the raptors are waiting.”
Lee nodded, getting slowly to his feet as her words sunk in and memory returned. He took one last look at the Cylon sprawled on the floor.
Then he followed Racetrack outside.
----
Maria’s people and the prisoners were long gone by the time they got outside. Only the remaining members of the original strike team were waiting. There were only eight of them now, Lee saw with a pang. He pulled himself together and gave the order to head for the raptors waiting outside the town.
Luck wasn’t with them. A group of Centurions spotted them as they emerged from the gap in the town fence, and gave chase. It slowed their retreat, as they had to take turns to run and provide covering fire.
Fortunately they didn’t have far to go. With no need for concealment now, the raptor had landed only a few hundred yards away.
Lee could see the raptor crew waiting for them, and decided they were close enough to make a run for it. He waved the others on ahead of him, turning to cover them.
Suddenly he felt something strike his thigh. Pain flooded through him and his leg crumpled beneath him.
Luckily he’d fallen next to a clump of trees. He dragged himself behind them, looking down in horror at the dark stain spreading across his trousers.
He looked up. The others had nearly reached the raptor. If he didn’t move now he was going to be left behind.
He tried to drag himself upright. Every movement sent a stab of agony through his leg. Everything started to blur at the edges and he leaned his head against the tree, trying not to faint.
I don’t have to do this.
The thought was seductive. He didn’t have to do this. He could just stop. Just sit down against the tree and wait for the Cylons to come and kill him. And then this would all be over. He wouldn’t hurt any more.
He’d kept his promise to Cally.
He’d kept his promise to Ana. The colonists had escaped, and the Cylons hadn’t won. He’d killed the two people responsible for her death. Made them pay.
There was nothing to keep him from giving up now.
Or was there?
Images suddenly flooded through his head.
Felix, looking grave. I didn’t save your life in that prison just so you could throw it away.
Ana in the prison cell. She had told him not to give in. Wasn’t this just another form of giving in?
And Kara. Most of all, Kara.
I need you, Lee.
And Lee made a decision.
He wanted to live.
He wanted to see Kara again.
He was going to fight to get to that raptor.
He pulled himself upright, fighting off the agony that flooded through him, and set off towards the raptor as fast as he could go.
After a few yards he knew with a sick feeling that it wasn’t going to be fast enough. A quick glance over his shoulder showed him the Cylons were getting closer. Bullets filled the air around him. Still, he forced himself onwards. He wasn’t going to fail from lack of trying. Not any more.
Then he heard someone shout his name, and suddenly Racetrack was there beside him. She hooked his arm over her shoulders.
“Come on, Lee! We’re nearly there.”
With her helping him, his pace doubled. The raptor got closer and closer - and then suddenly they were there, and the others were hauling him inside.
“Go, go, go!” Racetrack shouted at the pilot. The hatch banged shut and within seconds they were lifting away.
After a few minutes Lee recovered his breath and looked at Racetrack.
“Thanks for coming back for me, Meg.”
She grinned at him. “No problem, Lee. You would have done the same for me.” She got out the first aid kit. “Now let’s have a look at that leg.”
----
His leg wasn’t as bad as Lee had feared. The bullet had gone through the fleshy part of his thigh, and although it hurt like hell, the bone didn’t seem to be damaged. Racetrack gave him some painkillers and bandaged it up as best she could. She even cleaned his bloody hands without comment. Then she moved on to someone else, and Lee was left to stare at the planet receding beneath him.
Thank the gods he was finally out of there. Even if they were shot down on their way to Galactica, at least he wouldn’t die on that damned planet like Ana had.
And as he thought her name he realised she was gone.
He couldn’t hear her voice. When he closed his eyes her image wasn’t there.
It still hurt to think of her. The grief and the guilt were still there, but now they were less overwhelming. He supposed it made sense. He’d kept his last promise to her; maybe now she wouldn’t haunt him any more. And he was beginning to accept that what Kara had said had been true; Ana really wouldn’t have wanted him to betray everyone else to save her. She had been braver than that.
Maybe one day he would be able to forgive himself for listening to her, for doing what she had asked of him.
Goodbye, Ana, he thought, looking down at the planet. I won’t forget you. And I kept my promise.
It felt strange, to know that it was finally done. He’d thought he would feel empty and lost, now that driving force that had kept him going for so long was gone, but he didn’t. He’d made a decision back on the planet to live, and he was going to stick to that. No looking back. No regrets.
He was going to look to the future, now that he’d accepted that he had one.
He was going to see Kara. He wouldn’t let himself think otherwise. She’d get through this safely. He had to believe that.
He needed to thank her for pushing him into living again, for getting through to him when no-one else could. Tell her he needed her as well.
He closed his eyes again, and this time it was Kara’s face that he saw.