A Dramatic Turn: Chapter 15

[nvgvup]

Title: A Dramatic Turn: Chapter 15
Author: (this chapter) nvgvup
            Series Co-Authors: marzipanilla and newnumbertwo
Rating: T
Word Count: 2,525
Summary: At the start of something more, Laura and Bill’s relationship gets complicated when they are dragged into a dangerous game of life and death
Notes: My apologies - this chapter is long overdue, but at least it's also somewhat long! We're almost at the end folks! This is a ‘round robin’ fic. Each chapter is written by one of three different authors. Series begun as part of the Battleship for Team!Laura. Disclaimer: It all belongs to Ronald D. Moore. He is a very lucky man.

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 | Chapter Fourteen



Chapter 15: In which honesty prevails

Laura watched as Tom Zarek bent to retrieve a black satchel tucked behind a metal exhaust duct and held it up to her.

“Our ticket out of here, my dear.” Zarek’s toothy grin sent a shiver up Laura’s back. Moving back to her, he slung the satchel over his head, the single strap resting on his right shoulder as he kept his gun pointed steadily at Laura’s body. “Off we go!” He almost sounded chipper and it pissed Laura off.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Laura’s hard tone was coupled with her hands firmly being planted on her hips.

Zarek laughed, “Of course you are, Laura. I’m the one with the gun and you’ve already seen I have no qualms about using it.”

“What do you want with me?”

“So much, Laura, I want so much with you,” Zarek’s voice took on a wistful quality, then his eyes turned dark as he continued, “But all that will have to wait. For now, you’re safer with me so consider this me being gallant. I could have left you down in that lobby with your doomed friends.”

Despite her disgust at Zarek’s obvious leering, Laura focused on the threat, “What do you mean? What’s going to happen to them?”

“This entire building is rigged to blow, Laura. You saw the bullet proof locked doors. That cheeky blonde may have had the smarts to get you into the building but she won’t have as easy a time getting your friends out.”

“But you have a way out.” It wasn’t a question.

“Of course, but it won’t be through that lobby.”

“Let them go and I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Now, now Laura, we both know that isn’t true. Let’s not start lying to one another now.”

“When have you ever told me the truth Zarek?” Laura practically spit the words in his face.

“I suppose you’re right. I haven’t always been completely upfront with you. But that ends now. Whatever you want to know Laura, just ask. But please, let’s get off this roof, we have work to do and it is getting rather warm up here, don’t you think?”

Though Laura felt safer out in the open of the roof, she knew she couldn’t actually jump from it and live. Her best chance of escape was to go back inside the building. Besides, there was no way she’d leave without Bill and the rest of her friends. Reluctantly, Laura let Tom lead her back to the elevator.

“What is your plan here, Tom?”

“Such a broad question, Laura. Can’t you be a bit more specific?”

“Are you working with Cain?”

“Not anymore. Though she doesn’t quite know that yet.”

“But she is behind whatever is going on in this lab?”

“Of course, it was all her idea in the first place. She negotiated for Baltar to get the research grants from the Defense Department, even personally oversaw the construction and security outfitting of this entire lab. Of course, she never actually told the government the truth about what she wanted Baltar to do here; that was her little secret.”

“What did Cain want Baltar to create?”

“The million cubit question!” Tom exclaimed, smiling. “Cain thinks I don’t know what she’s up to. She gave me far too little credit. Thought all I wanted was to blow up some government buildings and I wouldn’t ask any questions about why. But my agenda is about more than blowing buildings.” Laura scoffed and Zarek narrowed his eyes at her. “You always gave me too little credit, as well Laura. What? You thought I just enjoy destroying things? I do have reasons for what I do.”

Laura watched the numbers on the elevator slowly descend. They were approaching the ground floor and she considered the chances she could get around Tom’s solid body to press the button for the lobby. As though he sensed her plotting, Tom repositioned himself more securely in front of the panel. The lobby came and went and the elevator continued to descend.

“And what are your reasons today, huh? Terrorizing a college campus, blowing up my office, shooting Zak in the lobby? What noble cause is this in the name of?”

“Ah well, you must understand Laura, there will always be sacrifices in the name of justice.”

“Justice? Who’s justice?”

“The People, of course. Everything I do is in the name of the People. You clearly never listened carefully to me when we were together if you didn’t pick up even that simple fact.”

“We were never together, Tom Zarek. Never.”

“Whatever you say, Laura.” Tom winked at her.

The elevator finally stopped and the doors opened onto a very small hallway, an antechamber it appeared, dead-ending at a solid metal door that took up the entire wall. Laura could see no obvious door handle and there were no other exits. Tom took Laura by the elbow and guided her across the floor to stop in front of a panel on the right wall.

Turning to her with the gun, he said, “Now Laura, I have to do some work here and I’m going to need both hands. As you can see, there’s only one vent in this room and it closed the moment the elevator doors shut behind us. Which means until I get this big metal door open, we are slowly running out of oxygen.” Laura looked up to the halls single vent, confirming it was indeed shut tight. “And before you think about making a break for the elevator, take a look and you’ll see there’s no button for that either. The only way out of this room is for me to use this panel. So unless you want us both to suffocate and you lose all hope of rescuing your little friends upstairs, I suggest you stay very still and quiet while I work. Understand?” Already beginning to feel the effect of thinning air in the small space, Laura simply nodded.

Zarek reached into the satchel against his hip and pulled out a small back box. Holding it up to a screen on the panel, Laura watched as a red beam scanned the device. A beep signaled the confirmation of a positive retinal scan and prompted Zarek to input a code. Reaching back into the satchel, Zarek extracted a key chain holding a white token. Pushing the single button on the token, a 10 digit passcode displayed and Tom quickly entered it into the panel’s number pad.

After an anxious 2 seconds, Laura heard air whoosh through the vent above her head and then the sound of metal gears beginning to grind. The large metal door began to slide open and Tom moved both of them forward, throwing an elated grin over his shoulder.

“Finally! Soon I’ll be able to return power to the People, expose their so called government representatives for the liars they are!” Tom exclaimed.

“I don’t understand.”

“That’s what Cain has been up to, Laura. Baltar’s task was to create a device to break all the defense mainframe codes, a backdoor to every high level secure information source in the Twelve Colonies. Of course, Cain told him it was for the protection of the Colonies but we know better than that, don’t we Laura?”

“I don’t know anything about this, Tom.” Laura watched as Tom began using another device from the satchel to input access codes into a main computer in the center of the lab.

“Surely you’ve seen enough to understand that Cain doesn’t give power to anyone but herself. If she gets her hands on this device, she’ll use it to manipulate her way into absolute control. She’ll have the ability to blackmail anyone she wants, to command any security force on the Colonies. Gods, she could even form a deal with the Cylons and create a welcoming mat for them to come stomping back here for total domination!”

“The Cylons?! They’ve been gone for decades Tom. You can’t honestly believe Helena Cain would help them, even if she could contact them.”

“Probably not, you’re right. But it would be possible with the access this device would give her.”

“And so you want to destroy it, is that right? Your noble cause is to keep this device out of Cain’s hands? But then why create such chaos doing it?”

“Destroy it? No! This device is the answer to everything I’ve been working for Laura! The chance to finally expose our government for the liars they are and to return power to the People! With this device, we can finally have transparency, Laura. A truly open society.”

“And Cain? She isn’t likely to let you get away with this. Certainly not if it will implicate her in any way. You can’t imagine she’ll let you live.”

“She won’t have a choice Laura. Don’t you see? The explosion here was supposed to look like an accident, a dangerous experiment left unattended when everyone rushed to evacuate. It would conveniently short circuit the security systems, hiding the fact that they were tampered with, and hide the fact that anything went missing. But Cain underestimated me. Before this day is over, I will have the power and Helena Cain will be buried beneath the rubble of her own machinations.”

ooOoo

“What?! This can’t be true! I don’t believe a word of it!” Baltar’s whiny voice echoed through the lobby as he sprung up from his position beside Zak after hearing Gina explain her role in the day’s events.

“Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down weasel!” Kara rushed around the security desk and grabbed Baltar before he could fling himself at the now cowering blonde.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you Gauis. I came to care about you, deeply. But you have to understand, my first love has always been Helena.”

“But…but…” Baltar spluttered. “I took you in! When you came asking for a job, you were so pathetic, hurt, abused! You said you just needed a chance and I gave it to you! I trusted you!”

“You took advantage of me!” the woman’s blue eyes blazed with fury.

“But it was all a lie! You were taking advantage of me!” Baltar screamed as he tried to wrestle his way out of Kara’s firm grasp.

“Yes, I lied. I wasn’t hurt or abused, at least not that I was aware of then. Helena always cared for me and I came to you under false pretenses, yes. But you certainly didn’t waste any time falling for it! For me! Tell me Gauis, do all your assistants perform such a wide variety of services for you?” the words were spit out of her mouth and Bill took a step between the feuding couple.

“Silence.” The gruff order was immediately obeyed though everyone in the room remained tense. “We don’t have time for this quarrel. Gina has provided us with valuable insight into Cain and Zarek’s plans and we need to get to work.”

“Not Zarek,” Gina interjected. “I don’t think he’s following the plans any longer.”

“Why? What’s he up to?” Kara pressed.

“There was only supposed to be one explosion today. The threat to the student center was just a distraction for what would happen here. It was my job to make sure Tom had access and that Gauis was out of the main lab this afternoon.”

“But why not just take whatever Cain wants yourself?” Bill asked.

“I could eventually be connected back to Helena. It wouldn’t be easy but not impossible either. We’ve been together for years. Zarek was a wildcard. He is already a known terrorist. No one would go digging far and Helena made sure he could never be connected back to her anyway.”

“So a bomb threat is called in to clear the campus, giving the perfect distraction as well as an alibi for Cain. You provide Zarek with the means to access the main lab and distract Baltar, who Cain knew wouldn’t leave the building without a more substantial reason.”

Gina nodded at Bill. All the fight had gone out of her. She was beginning to see that she was just another pawn in Helena Cain’s quest for power.

“But I didn’t want Gauis to get hurt. That’s why we were leaving. After I heard about the explosion at the administration building, I knew Zarek couldn’t be trusted and that I had to get Gauis to safety!” Gina’s urgent tone was directed to Baltar, a plea for mercy in her eyes.

Baltar relaxed in Kara’s grip and she loosened her hold, disgusted by the reconciliation but finally seeing the two weren’t going to tear each other apart.

“So what happens now?” Bill directed the question to Gina. “Zarek has Laura, do you know what his plan is?”

Looking up from her position in Baltar’s arms, Gina could see the earnestness in Bill’s deep blue eyes. This man understood binding love. She just wished she knew a way to help him. “Dr. Roslin was never a part of Helena’s plans. I don’t know what Tom wants with her. But by now he should have accessed the main lab and taken the device that Helena wants. He was then supposed to trigger a localized explosion that would destroy the lab, leave campus and await instructions for delivery. But somehow I don’t think that’s the plan any longer.”

“Wait, but that means there’s gotta be a way out of here! That frakk’n terrorist wouldn’t die in his own explosion.”

“You’re right. Cain would have given him an escape route but I’m afraid I don’t know what it is.”

“But you have to, if you were Cain’s girl, she wouldn’t leave you here either.”

“That’s just it,” Gina looked at Kara with tears welling in her eyes. “I was never told the security codes would be altered and there’s no way Tom would have known how. I’m afraid Helena has decided I’m not worth saving, another loose end to conveniently die in Tom’s explosion.”

Trying to head off a meltdown, Bill took command of the situation, “Do you know anything at all about Cain’s security defenses?”

“A little,” Gina nodded.

“Then go help Kara try to get around those backdoors. We have to find a way out of this building. Cain may not have intended for you to get out of here, Gina, but she sure as hell wouldn’t have left Tom in here with the device she so desperately wants.” The two women moved over to the security desk and immediately began working together at the computer.

“You,“ Bill glared at Baltar, “get back over there and keep my son alive or I will personally help Kara tear you apart from limb to limb.” Baltar quickly scurried back over to where Zak was lying unconscious on the floor, his own jacket now heavy with blood, and began searching for a new garment to use as a compress.

“What are you gonna do, Old Man?” Kara asked from over the monitor she was working at.

“Gonna make a few calls, get us some reinforcements. And it’s about time the Colonial Security forces knew their guard dog got off her leash.”