(fic) A Dramatic Turn Chp 13
Title: A Dramatic Turn
Authors:marzipanilla (this chapter)
newnumbertwo nvgvup
Rating: T
Notes: Sorry about the delay on this! When you have a lot of people in a room, it's hard to have them all doing different things.. So, here it is 'lucky' thirteen.
Previous chapters:
Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve
-
Chapter Thirteen In Which The Situation Manages to Deteriorate
Laura had an uneasy, prickly sensation on the back of her head like she was being watched. That, or her wig was really starting to irritate her. She remembered what it was like, having it rest against her bare scalp without her hair as a buffer; the hot itch that seemed to settle under her skin if she hadn't taken care of it properly. Laura roughly pushed those memories away, knowing now was not the time to be distracted.
“Have we settled on a floor yet?” She asked, pulling the dark wig off. Laura ran a hand through her hair, letting it fall back down in a relatively tangled mess.
“Ambiguously labeled research, ambiguously labeled research, or boiler room.” Kara drawled.
“Boiler room.” Zak offered.
Kara looked at him sideways.
“Well, start at the bottom, work your way up..”
“We could split up,” Laura offered.
Bill immediately responded with a strong 'no'. As she inclined to agree with him, Laura didn't protest. It never seemed to end well in the movies, anyway.
“Just a thought,” she added, stepping forward to place her wig on the receptionist's desk. “Would he target a specific lab, or would he go for the whole show?”
“You think the whole building could be rigged?” Kara, bold in the face of anything, looked uneasy.
“If it is, our main priority needs to be getting everyone out.” Worry pinched Zak's features, and a he rested a hand on Kara's arm.
“Most people should be evacuated, but-”
A loud 'ding!' cut Bill off, and the four of them quickly turned to face the elevator. The sleek reflective doors opened, revealing a man with dark hair in an expensive suit, with a tall, honey blonde woman on his side. She was laughing at something he had said, and he had an arm wrapped possessively around his waist.
“Someone didn't get the memo,” Laura muttered under her breath, instantly feeling a little irritated by just the sight of Baltar. She and the scientist mixed like oil and water on fire.
The couple made it several feet across the lobby before noticing the group. They froze, surprised by the odd party of people, but then Baltar's eyes quickly narrowed in recognition as they landed on Laura.
“Well, you're certainly the last face I expected to see in my building.” He moved forward, placing a hand on his companion's arm briefly, so that she would stay where she was.
Bill eyed the man warily, wondering if Laura could have any non-antagonistic relationships. He, Zarek, Cain, and now, apparently Baltar. Didn't she know how to play nicely with others?
“Who let you in? I'll need to remove their clearance immediately. But first, allow me to call campus police to-”
Laura had to resist the urge to roll her eyes as he continued rambling.
“Sir,” Zak broke in. “I'm-”
“The police? Caught her already did you? What are you-”
“I'm here,” Zak overrode the scientist quickly. “To escort you off the premises.”
“Me? You're going to escort me out of my own lab?”
Laura wondered if he remembered that he had been about to leave.
“Sir, a bomb threat was called in, an explosion occurred in one of the admin buildings earlier. Surely you heard the warnings? The whole campus is being cleared.”
“A bomb? That's preposterous!”
The woman behind him looked uneasy, stepping up quickly to place a hand on his shoulder. “Gaius, I think we should go.”
Bill keyed in on her response, seeing her tense. She was more than simply worried, she knew what was happening.
“This lab has the most state of the art defense system, nothing, and no one intending this building harm can get in,” Gaius protested.
“I did,” Kara piped up. “And what's stopping someone from doing something to the outside of your building?”
“We can debate this outside,” Bill broke in. “Waiting in here for the bombs to go off isn't a good idea.”
“There can be no bombs,” Baltar repeated.
The woman slid her hand down his arm, gripping it tightly. “Gaius, I think we should leave.”
“Listen to her,” Zak spoke slowly. “All of this can be explained once we're outside of the building, like my father suggested.”
“Father?” The scientist's eyes danced back and forth between the Adama men. “Are you really a police officer?”
“Are you really a scientist?” Laura muttered under her breath. Gaius' logic and reasoning skills sometimes seemed a little lacking.
“Oh, for frak's sake,” Kara marched across the lobby to the large glass door and pushed.
It didn't budge.
“Uh, guys,” she threw herself at the glass, but it didn't make a difference. After her second failure, Kara wrapped her hands around the shiny steel handle and pulled back, as if hoping the gleaming 'push' sign under the handle was suddenly incorrect.
Laura felt a small flutter of panic as Bill quickly moved to to join her, followed by Zak, and the three of them tried again.
“No,” the woman at Baltar's side gasped. “She wouldn't leave me here.”
“She?” The scientist whipped around to his companion, frowning.
Laura raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Kara dashed away from the sealed doors to the security set up behind the reception desk.
“Someone has back doors tucked all through your system,” the barista broke into the domestics. “These codes.. they aren't mine.”
“Impossible!” Baltar abandoned his companion, crossing to the younger woman before pushing her aside. “My security network is..” His eyes bugged as he read the screen.
“Cain,” Laura spoke up, crossing over to stand beside the woman. “You work for her, don't you?”
“I..”
“It doesn't matter what Cain told you,” Laura continued, coming to a stop at her side. “Even if she hadn't been lying. Zarek has decided to go off on his own.”
“How do you know about Zarek?”
“Oh,” a familiar voice drawled, causing Laura's blood to freeze. “Laura knows quite a bit about me, don't you?”
Laura tried to fathom where he had come from, how he had gotten so close without their noticing. The sound of bodies throwing themselves against the glass door must have masked his approaching steps. She didn't have time to turn and face her adversary, as his hand grabbed her and yanked her back. The blonde at her side practically jumped forward as Zarek pulled Laura in front of himself as a shield. She stumbled as she was pressed into his chest, but went still the moment she felt the barrel of a gun settle against her head.
“Laura!”
She looked at Bill, still too afraid to move her body in case Zarek decided to pull the trigger.
“Got yourself another admirer, have you?” The terrorist whispered into her ear.
She didn't reply, feeling Zarek begin to pull her back towards the elevator.
Zak un-holstered his gun, stepping up beside his father as they both leveled their weapons. She doubted either would shoot with her blocking the target.
“Dogs with teeth. I thought you didn't approve of firearms, Laura?” Tom chided. “Shall we remind them what happens to children who play with guns?”
“Tom, don't-”
The gun went off next to her ear, deafening her. Her eyes slammed shut, and when she managed to open them Bill was on his knees next to his son's prone body.
She only heard ringing as Zarek pushed the button for the top floor. The doors slid shut and she wondered if Kara's mouth was open in shock or if she was shouting. When the elevator started moving up her knees gave way and she fell, the impact jarring her dazed mind.
“I'm glad you got rid of the wig,” Tom helped her up as if nothing had just happened. “You look so much better in red.”
It was still hard to hear, but she knew she had to respond, if only to delay having to hear his voice for another moment. “Is that why you're so determined to kill me?”
Zak had just been shot. Was he dead? Was she about to die?
“I don't want to see you hurt.”
“You tried to blow me up.” Her mouth was dry.
“Your office?” Tom smiled. “Your meeting ran long with Adar.”
Laura pressed her lips together, feeling queasy. She let herself look at Tom's reflection in the doors of the elevator. “What does that have to do with-”
“You let your aide go early.”
Her mind flew back to the devastation of her office after the bomb had gone off. Billy had been meant to walk through that? She tried to recall exactly what the note on the flowers had said, wondering how she would have responded to them if the young man had been dead at the time she read them.
“I never meant for you to walk through that door, at least, not with the explosives still active. Adar fraks everything up, doesn't he?”
The elevator reached the third floor, signaling the end of the conversation. Tom pushed her out into the hall with his gun pressed into her back, directing her towards the stairwell. They were heading for the roof.
-
Kara kneeled at Zak's side, pressing her hands down on his bundled uniform jacket, which was being used as a compress to slow the bleeding from his abdomen. Baltar and the woman he had with him were arguing, their voices a faded buzz in the background. She barely heard the shots Bill fired ineffectively into the bullet proof glass doors that had them sealed in.
Her hands were stained with blood, and for some god's damned reason, the person whose blood it was was smiling at her.
“What?” She snapped at him, wondering why she was so angry at him. He was hurt, he was probably already dying, but she wanted to kill him.
“Marry me?”
“What?” Her anger dissipated into complete shock.
“Something tells me I shouldn't wait.”
“Oh, you're waiting.” Kara insisted, feeling her anger return despite the tears that now gathered in her eyes. “You're waiting until you can dance at our reception and frak me properly on the honeymoon. No pulling that I've gotta headache, or bullet wound crap.”
Zak just kept grinning at her. “Pretty lady said yes.”
Kara wondered if that was blood loss of euphoria talking. She let herself smile with a stupid kind of hope when he closed his eyes. It didn't seem like they were going to make it out of this, but at least they could die happy.
Authors:marzipanilla (this chapter)
newnumbertwo nvgvup
Rating: T
Notes: Sorry about the delay on this! When you have a lot of people in a room, it's hard to have them all doing different things.. So, here it is 'lucky' thirteen.
Previous chapters:
Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve
-
Chapter Thirteen In Which The Situation Manages to Deteriorate
Laura had an uneasy, prickly sensation on the back of her head like she was being watched. That, or her wig was really starting to irritate her. She remembered what it was like, having it rest against her bare scalp without her hair as a buffer; the hot itch that seemed to settle under her skin if she hadn't taken care of it properly. Laura roughly pushed those memories away, knowing now was not the time to be distracted.
“Have we settled on a floor yet?” She asked, pulling the dark wig off. Laura ran a hand through her hair, letting it fall back down in a relatively tangled mess.
“Ambiguously labeled research, ambiguously labeled research, or boiler room.” Kara drawled.
“Boiler room.” Zak offered.
Kara looked at him sideways.
“Well, start at the bottom, work your way up..”
“We could split up,” Laura offered.
Bill immediately responded with a strong 'no'. As she inclined to agree with him, Laura didn't protest. It never seemed to end well in the movies, anyway.
“Just a thought,” she added, stepping forward to place her wig on the receptionist's desk. “Would he target a specific lab, or would he go for the whole show?”
“You think the whole building could be rigged?” Kara, bold in the face of anything, looked uneasy.
“If it is, our main priority needs to be getting everyone out.” Worry pinched Zak's features, and a he rested a hand on Kara's arm.
“Most people should be evacuated, but-”
A loud 'ding!' cut Bill off, and the four of them quickly turned to face the elevator. The sleek reflective doors opened, revealing a man with dark hair in an expensive suit, with a tall, honey blonde woman on his side. She was laughing at something he had said, and he had an arm wrapped possessively around his waist.
“Someone didn't get the memo,” Laura muttered under her breath, instantly feeling a little irritated by just the sight of Baltar. She and the scientist mixed like oil and water on fire.
The couple made it several feet across the lobby before noticing the group. They froze, surprised by the odd party of people, but then Baltar's eyes quickly narrowed in recognition as they landed on Laura.
“Well, you're certainly the last face I expected to see in my building.” He moved forward, placing a hand on his companion's arm briefly, so that she would stay where she was.
Bill eyed the man warily, wondering if Laura could have any non-antagonistic relationships. He, Zarek, Cain, and now, apparently Baltar. Didn't she know how to play nicely with others?
“Who let you in? I'll need to remove their clearance immediately. But first, allow me to call campus police to-”
Laura had to resist the urge to roll her eyes as he continued rambling.
“Sir,” Zak broke in. “I'm-”
“The police? Caught her already did you? What are you-”
“I'm here,” Zak overrode the scientist quickly. “To escort you off the premises.”
“Me? You're going to escort me out of my own lab?”
Laura wondered if he remembered that he had been about to leave.
“Sir, a bomb threat was called in, an explosion occurred in one of the admin buildings earlier. Surely you heard the warnings? The whole campus is being cleared.”
“A bomb? That's preposterous!”
The woman behind him looked uneasy, stepping up quickly to place a hand on his shoulder. “Gaius, I think we should go.”
Bill keyed in on her response, seeing her tense. She was more than simply worried, she knew what was happening.
“This lab has the most state of the art defense system, nothing, and no one intending this building harm can get in,” Gaius protested.
“I did,” Kara piped up. “And what's stopping someone from doing something to the outside of your building?”
“We can debate this outside,” Bill broke in. “Waiting in here for the bombs to go off isn't a good idea.”
“There can be no bombs,” Baltar repeated.
The woman slid her hand down his arm, gripping it tightly. “Gaius, I think we should leave.”
“Listen to her,” Zak spoke slowly. “All of this can be explained once we're outside of the building, like my father suggested.”
“Father?” The scientist's eyes danced back and forth between the Adama men. “Are you really a police officer?”
“Are you really a scientist?” Laura muttered under her breath. Gaius' logic and reasoning skills sometimes seemed a little lacking.
“Oh, for frak's sake,” Kara marched across the lobby to the large glass door and pushed.
It didn't budge.
“Uh, guys,” she threw herself at the glass, but it didn't make a difference. After her second failure, Kara wrapped her hands around the shiny steel handle and pulled back, as if hoping the gleaming 'push' sign under the handle was suddenly incorrect.
Laura felt a small flutter of panic as Bill quickly moved to to join her, followed by Zak, and the three of them tried again.
“No,” the woman at Baltar's side gasped. “She wouldn't leave me here.”
“She?” The scientist whipped around to his companion, frowning.
Laura raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Kara dashed away from the sealed doors to the security set up behind the reception desk.
“Someone has back doors tucked all through your system,” the barista broke into the domestics. “These codes.. they aren't mine.”
“Impossible!” Baltar abandoned his companion, crossing to the younger woman before pushing her aside. “My security network is..” His eyes bugged as he read the screen.
“Cain,” Laura spoke up, crossing over to stand beside the woman. “You work for her, don't you?”
“I..”
“It doesn't matter what Cain told you,” Laura continued, coming to a stop at her side. “Even if she hadn't been lying. Zarek has decided to go off on his own.”
“How do you know about Zarek?”
“Oh,” a familiar voice drawled, causing Laura's blood to freeze. “Laura knows quite a bit about me, don't you?”
Laura tried to fathom where he had come from, how he had gotten so close without their noticing. The sound of bodies throwing themselves against the glass door must have masked his approaching steps. She didn't have time to turn and face her adversary, as his hand grabbed her and yanked her back. The blonde at her side practically jumped forward as Zarek pulled Laura in front of himself as a shield. She stumbled as she was pressed into his chest, but went still the moment she felt the barrel of a gun settle against her head.
“Laura!”
She looked at Bill, still too afraid to move her body in case Zarek decided to pull the trigger.
“Got yourself another admirer, have you?” The terrorist whispered into her ear.
She didn't reply, feeling Zarek begin to pull her back towards the elevator.
Zak un-holstered his gun, stepping up beside his father as they both leveled their weapons. She doubted either would shoot with her blocking the target.
“Dogs with teeth. I thought you didn't approve of firearms, Laura?” Tom chided. “Shall we remind them what happens to children who play with guns?”
“Tom, don't-”
The gun went off next to her ear, deafening her. Her eyes slammed shut, and when she managed to open them Bill was on his knees next to his son's prone body.
She only heard ringing as Zarek pushed the button for the top floor. The doors slid shut and she wondered if Kara's mouth was open in shock or if she was shouting. When the elevator started moving up her knees gave way and she fell, the impact jarring her dazed mind.
“I'm glad you got rid of the wig,” Tom helped her up as if nothing had just happened. “You look so much better in red.”
It was still hard to hear, but she knew she had to respond, if only to delay having to hear his voice for another moment. “Is that why you're so determined to kill me?”
Zak had just been shot. Was he dead? Was she about to die?
“I don't want to see you hurt.”
“You tried to blow me up.” Her mouth was dry.
“Your office?” Tom smiled. “Your meeting ran long with Adar.”
Laura pressed her lips together, feeling queasy. She let herself look at Tom's reflection in the doors of the elevator. “What does that have to do with-”
“You let your aide go early.”
Her mind flew back to the devastation of her office after the bomb had gone off. Billy had been meant to walk through that? She tried to recall exactly what the note on the flowers had said, wondering how she would have responded to them if the young man had been dead at the time she read them.
“I never meant for you to walk through that door, at least, not with the explosives still active. Adar fraks everything up, doesn't he?”
The elevator reached the third floor, signaling the end of the conversation. Tom pushed her out into the hall with his gun pressed into her back, directing her towards the stairwell. They were heading for the roof.
-
Kara kneeled at Zak's side, pressing her hands down on his bundled uniform jacket, which was being used as a compress to slow the bleeding from his abdomen. Baltar and the woman he had with him were arguing, their voices a faded buzz in the background. She barely heard the shots Bill fired ineffectively into the bullet proof glass doors that had them sealed in.
Her hands were stained with blood, and for some god's damned reason, the person whose blood it was was smiling at her.
“What?” She snapped at him, wondering why she was so angry at him. He was hurt, he was probably already dying, but she wanted to kill him.
“Marry me?”
“What?” Her anger dissipated into complete shock.
“Something tells me I shouldn't wait.”
“Oh, you're waiting.” Kara insisted, feeling her anger return despite the tears that now gathered in her eyes. “You're waiting until you can dance at our reception and frak me properly on the honeymoon. No pulling that I've gotta headache, or bullet wound crap.”
Zak just kept grinning at her. “Pretty lady said yes.”
Kara wondered if that was blood loss of euphoria talking. She let herself smile with a stupid kind of hope when he closed his eyes. It didn't seem like they were going to make it out of this, but at least they could die happy.