SquidgeWorld Archive

Title: Pathways: The Hidden Truth.
Author: Lopaka Tanu
Disclaimer: I do not own BattleStar Galactica.
Characters: Gaeta, Jammer, Tyrol, Calley, Starbuck, Baltar, Adama, Tigh.
Words: 5691
Prompt: Gaeta discovers he is a Cylon.
Fandom: BattleStar Galactica 2003
Timeline: Litmus
Pairing: Gaeta/Jammer
Rating: Adult
Warnings: Language, Violence.
Summary: Gaeta faces the tests of courage.
Author's Note: Special thanks to leavesoflorien, rap541, and blue_crow for all your help and inspiration.

______________________________________

Felix checked to see if the sample plate was aligned correctly.  It was tedious work, this, but a welcome change.  The events of the past two weeks had taken their toll upon the fleet.  Most of all him, though.  He had done so many jump calculations in the past two weeks that he thought his brain might short circuit.Gods knew enough of the mother boards had.  Thinking about those almost made the headache start up again.  He would have his hands full recycling those for reuse later on.  Right now, however, he was busy with something equally important.A final adjustment to the slide, and he closed the hood.  It made a heavy thump which echoed in the lab.  After securing it in to place, he stepped back and dusted off his hands.He was finally done.  All that was left was firing it up to see if it worked.  "All right, Doctor, I'm all finished here.  We can begin whenever you're ready."There was only silence in the lab."Did you hear me, sir?"  Confused, Gaeta turned.  A quick glance over his shoulder revealed that Dr. Baltar wasn't paying attention.Baltar was sitting in the far corner, his face slack and eyes glazed over.  The front of his clothes were half undone.  He looked nothing so much as debauched.
Gaeta sighed.  This was become almost normal for the man.  Apparently he was still too traumatized.  Not that Felix could blame him, he felt like indulging in a little mindless catatonia himself.  But, he had a job to do.

So, without any fanfare, Felix typed in the code for the start-up sequence.  The tiny reactor came to life with a gentle hum.  Right now, he knew the radiation bleedoff from the warhead was bombarding the sample with enough radioactive particles to light up any anomalies.  Normal human cells would not retain the particles.  

It was really an ingenious, yet very simple idea.  This part of the process would take eight hours.  Next, a quick transfer for two hours of detox would remove most of the radioactive particles.  A contrast dye was then to be applied after to differentiate.  Then, the sample plate would be put in the high spectrum light analyzer for reading.

Any Cylon cells would automatically be visible by the shift in spectrum.  Felix found this very fascinating.  He knew similar methods had been used in the past to detect cancer and other diseases, but never to use it for this purpose.  He supposed that was why Dr. Baltar was the genius.

Dropping his eyes, Felix checked out the grime on his fingers.  The tips were black from days of removing burnt circuitry.  He had spent an hour scrubbing them the night before to no avail.  If he paid attention, he could still catch the hent of it on his skin.

It was not a smell he would ever be used to.  Still, it was better than the scorched flesh from the medical ward.  All those screams from people crying out haunted his dreams.  Felix hoped he never slept again.

A noise made his head pop up.  At first, he thought it to be Dr. Baltar, but the man was still sitting there, two seconds from drooling.  When it came again, he immediately identified it as the wireless handset.

Composing himself, Felix walked over to the handset and picked it up.  Putting to his ear, he sighed.  "Lieutenant Gaeta."

The line crackled until a person spoke.  "Uh, Lieutenant sir, this is Chief Tyrol down on the deck.  Sorry to interrupt, I know you've been given the day off."

Felix closed his eyes.  "What can I do for you chief?"  Peace was ever fleeting, as the saying went.

"If you're busy, I can get someone else to do it.  It's just, you're the best one we got at this sorta thing."  The scratching of his head came over the handset loud and clear.  "As you know, most of our remaining birds are little better than scrap pasted together with chewing gum on a good day.  Well, with the fleet being the state of disarray it is, the old man wants me to get our birds up to fighting shape.  I was wondering if you could knock together a few working DRADIS consoles for us."

"How bad is the situation, Chief?"  Training took control as Gaeta slipped back in to his routine.

"About sixty percent.  That's barely good enough for a CAP, but it doesn't matter.  These planes aren't going any where until we get those new pilots trained."  Tyrol cleared his throat and took a ragged breath.  "If you're even half as good with the birds as you are in the CIC, we should have these babies up and running in plenty of time."

"All right."  Gaeta looked back over the lab.  The equipment was humming along under its own steam.  Lights flashed on and off in a regular pattern, there was nothing wrong here.  From the looks of Gaius, he wasn't going any where for a while.  "I can spare a few hours."

"Great!  I'll see you in a few."  Tyrol hung up before Gaeta could change his mind.

With a long exhale, Felix returned the handset back to the wall cradle.  It looked like he didn't have to sit there and brood, waiting for his results after all.

He walked over to the lab top and picked up the pen next to his notes.  He scribbled out a message for Dr. Baltar in case the man should wake while he was gone.  That done, he tugged at his uniform jacket.  

Back to work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stepping through the hangar doors, Felix felt the noise of the machine shops as a physical force.  In the corridor, he had heard a dull echo, but nothing compared to this.  Between the lifts, the metal grinders, and myriad of cutting tools, the place sounded very much the typical deck.  One could almost forget that the world had ended two weeks ago.

Almost, but not quite.

He stood there for a moment more before he continued on in to the hangar.  To his right were Raptors and trolley's getting read to take them to the pod.  It had been weeks since he had been on one.  Gaeta paused.  That wasn't right.

He did a mental calculation.  It had been two months since he had last left the ship.  That had been aboard a Raptor.  For the life of him, he couldn't recall why.  Not that it mattered now, there was no where else to go.  Felix suddenly felt very old.

To stave off the sudden welling of overwhelming grief, he closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath.  He realized that he let out a slight whimper, but didn't have the strength to spare to care.  Gaeta knew he could not break down on the hangar deck.  Dignity was all he had left.

A large hand settled in between his shoulders, comforting and grounding.  "I know this isn't much help, but we're alive.  The only way is to focus on that and never let go."  The man's voice was almost a whisper, low and close enough that the warmth was felt over his ear.  It spoke of too much knowledge and understanding, of having done this before.

Felix nodded.  There was nothing else he could do.  His body felt too weak to do anything more.

"Take a deep breath, Lieutenant."  A new voice joined in the fray.  Looming over them both, Chief Tyrol placed a hand over Gaeta's shoulder.  He gently squeezed to ground him as much as reassure.  "We are still here.  Some body's gotta keep this bucket of bolts flying."

Gaeta gasped out a laugh.  He knew it wasn't funny, but the absurdity of the image it inspired broke him.  Grasping the hand that was offered, he nodded.  "I'm all right now.  Just a moment of weakness."

"You don't have to explain anything to us.  We're all human down here."  The implied insult was clear in the Cheif's voice.  There was no reason to state whom he was talking about, everyone on the deck knew.  He gave Gaeta's shoulder another squeeze before turning towards a string of Raptors lining one side of the hangar.  "Come on, we've got work to do if this fleet's gonna make it."

"Right."  Felix shook his head more for something to do than in agreement.  The hand on his back slid over his shoulder, tugging him closer to the man.  Raising his head, he glanced over to see dark eyes watching him.  "Thank you."

"Look, don't mention it.  We've all had our moments to break down."  He tugged Gaeta against him again, then released him.  "I'm Jammer, by the way."  Grinning, he led Gaeta towards the Raptors.  "We better get busy.  There's a lot to do."

Sighing, Felix nodded his agreement.  There was nothing new about any of this.  Besides, standing around sulking wouldn't accomplish anything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ah!"  The sudden cramp his hand forced Gaeta to release the circuit wrench.  Holding the mother board in place with his other hand, he shook out the sore appendage.  This was the seventh board he had taken out and made minor adjustments to in the past two hours.  "What are those pilots doing to these consoles?"

"Personally, I think they are kicking them."  Standing over Felix, Jammer watched the deck crew around them go about their work.  He was busy holding the console up so that Gaeta could work under it without being crushed.  "These old things tend to glitch from time to time, I hear."

That made Felix frown.  "Yes, well that isn't going to be happening anymore."  Unlike the other man, he knew better than to believe the word of a pilot.  They more often than not lied to suit their purposes.  "Aside from loose chips and dust, there was nothing wrong with this one."

"We gotta reboot this one too?"  The prospect didn't sound at all appealing to Jammer.  After five reboots, he wasn't looking forward to another.

"No, it will automatically reset during the calibration tests."  Which was a testament to how little damage this one had undergone.  "This one's pilot must have shown remarkable restraint."

"Not really."  Now it was Jammer's turn to grimace.  "We replaced the cockpit hatch.  Cylons got him with a quick shot through the head."  He gestured to the new lining along the floor.  "Gods damned mess that was."

Felix's stomach roiled.  Closing his eyes, he switched hands holding up the circuit board.  He had done enough replacements that he easily slid it back in to place.  "I think it's time to change the subject."

"All right."  Cocking his head to the side, Jammer stared down at Felix.  The tiny smile on his face spelled nothing but trouble.  "What do you think about that thing Starbuck brought back?"

"That thing is a Cylon Raider.  I think it is dangerous and needs to be blasted to bits."  Felix opened his eyes so he could see what he was doing.  This time, reattaching the wires was easy.  They slipped right on and then the job was done.

Sliding out from under the console, he thumped Jammer on the inner thigh.  His hands reached up and grasped the bottom portion of the console.  He helped the standing man put it back in to place.  Once it was set in the steering section of the Viper, Felix attached the remaining wires and anchor screws.

"All done?"  The response was a hand being thrust up between his legs.  Taking the hand, Jammer tugged Gaeta off the floor of the Viper's cockpit.  His other hand had to go around the man's waist to keep them both from falling out.

Now pressed against Jammer's chest, Felix used a hand on the man's hip to brace himself.  This elicited a gasp that gave Gaeta a wicked idea.  His expression must have given it away because Jammer was glaring.

"Don't even think about it, sir."  He was already shying away from those experienced fingers before they even had the chance to dig in to his side.  Jammer wasn't going to give Felix a chance.  "We'll both fall over, fair warning."

"That's fine with me, Specialist."  Despite his words, Felix gave a warning stroke of the other man's ribs.  Then he stepped back to give himself room to climb out.  He grasped the rail of the rolling stairs and tugged his body out of the cockpit.  Felix was halfway out when a hand slid over his backside.

"Oops, slipped."  The voice was anything but recalcitrant.

Felix let it go this time.  They would be working in a less hazardous place soon, he would get his revenge there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The wet rag felt cool against the back of his neck even as it dribbled water down his collar.  Felix didn't mind, the shirt had already been soiled by sweat.  He wasn't exactly certain where he had left his jacket.  That had been removed over an hour ago.

Beside him, Jammer sipped from a bottle of water.  The nozzle never quite left his lips between swallows.

Felix watched him drink, his eyes tracking the way his throat moved.  There was just something so fascinating about watching Jammer.  A moment of giddiness made his skin feel warmer.

Sucking down the last mouthful of water, Jammer crushed the bottle.  He tossed it over his head in to the cart he was leaning against.  The bottle and every piece of metal inside would be recycled for later use.  "All right, I think we've spent enough time standing around."

"What do you suggest we do instead?"  Felix wanted an answer to that question.  At Jammer's questioning look, he snickered.

The ship rocked, throwing them off balance.  Jammer slipped from his perch against the cart and fell to the floor.  Gaeta landed on his hands and knees beside him.  Another shake tossed them flat on the deck.

Alarms rang out in the hangar.  From the high pitched cry of the sirens, they knew an explosion had happened inside the ship and fire was spreading.

"All non-essential personnel must evacuate section thirty-eight.  I repeat, all non-essential personnel must evacuate section thirty-eight."  Dualla's voice sounded grainy over the loud speaker.

It took a moment for Gaeta's mind to supply what was in that section.  Why would a bomb would go off there.  His eyes widened when his memory sparked.  "The lab!"

"What?"  Confused, Jammer rolled on to his side.

"I have to get to the lab!"  Felix pushed off from the deck.  He nearly slipped twice as he got his bearings.  By the time he was at the hangar entrance, he was steady on his feet.

The corridor was pure chaos.  People were running about, more than half of them civilians.  He had a chance to wonder how so many of them had gotten aboard Galactica while he pushed his way through the crowd.

He didn't know how bad the damage would be, but Gaeta was expecting it to be bad.  The size of the explosion, even in the reinforced corridors of Galactica, meant the damage would be extensive.  As he rounded the corner at a major junction, he wondered how such a device got past the guards.

Someone was going to be in big trouble.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Smoke filled the corridor making it hard to see.  Chunks of metal plating and ceiling beams littered the path in several directions.  Still, Felix made his way through them, heedless of the danger to himself.  More than once he had to jump over still smoldering debris.

He could hear people calling his name in the distance.  Felix knew that running through a fireline had been stupid, but this was important.  The Doctor was in this area and no one had heard from him since before the explosion.  If there was even a small chance he was alive, they had to take it.

Because of the scorch marks, most of the corridors looked the same.  There were still enough of the original markings that Felix could tell where he was going, though.  

He paused at a junction to catch his breath.  Wiping at his eyes, he scrubbed the extra tears from them.  They were beginning to burn from the acrid fumes.  He knew it would only be a short amount of time before he was near blind.

He had to hurry.

Pushing away from the bulkhead, he stumbled down the right corridor.  The lab was just around the bend.  There was less damage in this area, which gave him a little heart.

Felix slowed the closer he got to the room.  As he rounded the corner, he found that most of the walls and supports were in place.  In fact, if not from the smoke discoloration, it would have appeared to be perfectly fine.  His heart sped up as he put on a burst of speed to get to the door.

The hatch was locked shut, like he had left it.  Grasping the wheel, Felix gave it a twist.  It gave with little resistance.  He felt like crying in relief as he heard the lock open.

The hinges squeaking as he pulled the door open was the most beautiful sound in the Universe at that moment.  Once there was enough room for him to fit, Felix slipped in to the room.  The air was clear and lights were bright.  His relief was almost palpable.

A quick glance about the lab revealed everything was where it should be.  Nothing was amiss.  The tablet he had written the note on was still on the lab top.  There was no sign the blast had even effected the lab.

Felix felt his heart clench.

There was also no sign of the good Doctor.  Baltar was no where to be found in the lab.  He ducked down to see if he had fallen out of his chair to the deck.  There was nothing.  Even the lab coat the man was fond of wearing was gone.

If he hadn't been in the lab...Felix looked back at the opened hatch and swallowed.  He had rushed all the way here for nothing.

Staggering, he caught himself on the nearest piece of equipment.  The steady hum of the reactor would have sent a shiver down his spine under normal circumstances.  Now, he just felt too tired to give a damn.

Either Dr. Baltar had been in the corridor during the blast, or he had been in an entirely different part of the ship.  Obviously the lab hadn't been the intended target of the blast.  Closing his eyes, Felix felt like screaming.  Instead he started laughing as he slid to the deck.

He wanted nothing more than to curl up and die at that moment.  Unfortunately, the gods seemed to have it out for him.  The handset started to ring.

Rising from his prone position, Felix wiped his face clean of tears and snot.  He wasn't sure where he drew the strength to make it to the handset, but Felix did.  When he picked it up, he hesitated before he placing it against his ear.  "Lieutenant Gaeta."

"It's good to hear you made it, Lieutenant."

His relief at hearing the Commander's voice made Felix gasp.  "The lab is secure, sir, but Dr. Baltar is not here."

"He was else where at the time of the explosion."  The tone of his voice spoke of just where the man had been found.  "The fire suppression system is working at only half capacity, so I'm afraid you're stuck there for a while."

"I understand, sir."  And, really, Felix felt relieved.  He didn't think he could handle dealing with people at the moment.  "I think I'll just rest in here."

"You do that.  I'll have the crews get to you as soon as they can."  There was more muffled as the Commander said something to someone off the handset.  When he came back, his voice was gruff.  "Just so you know, you're not off the hook for this.  What you did was foolish to say the least."

"I know, sir.  I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit."  He would, they both knew it.  Felix was just glad to hear from him.  "I will see you soon, sir."

"Good man, Mr. Gaeta."  Then the line went dead as he hung up on Felix.

Now that he knew the way things lay, Felix felt lightened and relieved of his burdens.  The lack of responsibility left him exhausted.  He yawned.  Resting sounded very good at that moment.

A quick glance about revealed the chair that Gaius preferred to sit in when not running lab tests.  It appeared to be comfortable.  As Felix fell back in to it, he discovered it was indeed.  He was settled in and slowing down mentally within seconds.  Closing his eyes, he nodded off.

The rest of the world could wait until he had some sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something buzzed along Felix's ear, making him twitch to block it out.  The something slid under his nose, tickling his nostrils and making him huff.  This time, he opened his eyes to see what was so irritating.  

"Well, I must say, you are quite cute sitting there."  Kneeling in front of Felix, Baltar twirled a feather between two fingers.  Behind the man, Starbuck and two marines stood with amused expressions.

Felix immediately sat up in his chair.  Reaching up, he brushed at his hair until he realized it wasn't there.  That gave him a moment of pause to reorient himself.  He was in the lab.  The blast.  

Groaning, he rubbed at his eyes.  They were still sore from the smoke and chemical exposure.  At least he could see, which was always a good sign.

Clearing his throat, he stood up.  "What's the SitRep?"

Pulling the half chewed cigar from her mouth, Starbuck twitched her head.  "You look like hell, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."  The marines seemed to find this funny, making Gaeta sigh internally.  They weren't going to be any help.  So, he turned to the rising Doctor.  "Dr. Baltar, you're alive and well. Very good."

"Yes, it is."  Adjusting his shirt, Baltar made himself look more decent.  There was still an air of used about him that gave him a tired feeling.  "Thankfully, I was no where near when the explosion went off.  If I was paranoid, I might believe someone was after me...for something other than my body."

Felix kept the urge to roll his eyes under firm check.  The man was more than welcome to his awful jokes.  "Do we know what exactly happened yet?"

Gaius gave the guards a cautious look, before turning back to Felix.  He reached in to his pocket and pulled out a cigarette.  "A suicide bomber, apparently.  There's an official inquiry slated for tomorrow morning.  I suppose someone's going to lose their head for this one."

"So, this is what you two get up to in here."  Her thumbs hooked in her belt loops, Kara gave the lab a quick look over.  "No wonder you were out trying to single handedly repopulate the human race."

This made Gaius perk up.  Instead being of insulted, he seemed proud of that fact.  "Just doing my part."  He took a step towards her direction.  "By the way, that offer of a cigarette is still open."

"Right."  That did it.  The pressure in the room was stifling and Felix felt the need to get out of there.  "I'm sure the Commander is waiting for me."

A final smile for Baltar, and Kara faced Felix.  She unhooked her finger to throw a thumb over her shoulder at the hatch.  "Yeah, the old man's waiting in the CIC.  I asked him if he's going to need a clean up crew, he told me to put it on hold."  Her tone was nothing short of a taunt.

Gaeta reached down to adjust his jacket.  If he was going to face the firing squad, he might do so with dignity.  Unfortunately, his fingers encountered nothing but his shirt.  Only now did he realize he had left his uniform jacket on the hangar deck some where.

His skin darkened as his cheeks felt aflame.  Apparently dignity had gone out the airlock along with his mental faculties and survival instinct.  Straight backed, he marched to the hatch.  He knew the others were staring, smirking at him, but he refused to acknowledge it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The CIC was almost silent as he stepped through the security hatch.  The marines on the other side were nothing new, but he had felt a more menacing presence from them.  Heading to the command console, Felix noted the skeleton crew manning their posts.

The only senior officer was the Commander.  He stood leaning against the command console.  His glasses were off and he looked twice his age.

Felix stopped two feet away, standing at attention.  "Sir."  He could see the Commander move, but kept his focus straight ahead.

"You are unhurt?"  Picking up his glasses, Adama put them back on and exhaled.

"I am well, sir."  Sweat started to prick at the back of Felix's neck.  Here it came, his major ass kicking that the others had implied.

Twisting to face the younger man, the Commander stared at him for a long time.  He reached up once to adjust his glasses, then let the hand fall back to his side.  After another moment, he turned back to the console.  "You disappointed me today."

The color drained from Gaeta's face.  "I..."  Swallowing, he barely kept his voice steady.  "I apologize, sir.  There is no excuse for my actions."

Adama didn't react to the words.  Picking up a small vessel from the maps, he palmed it.  "You're dismissed, Lieutenant."  He walked around the central console to place it at another point on the map.

Felix followed him with his eyes.  He waited another beat, then saluted.  He spun about face, then marched off the deck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

His jacket was in the last Viper he had worked on with Jammer.  The Hangar deck was still loud, but muted when compared to earlier.  He didn't hang around to see if the others needed help.  There would be plenty of that when his next shift started in seven hours.

Gaeta was well aware he should have been in his bunk.  Yet, he didn't feel like sleeping.  The nap earlier was only partly to blame for that.

He had done a stupid thing.  It could have cost him his life, or worse, someone else's.  He should have known better than to let panic dictate his actions.  That had simply been foolish.

He wasn't stupid or foolish.  They didn't place either one in the Tactical position on BattleStars.  Level headedness and calm during a crises were part of his job.  Others counted on him being able to think clearly to get them out of trouble.

He couldn't say why, but earlier, he had forgotten his training for one man.  Felix wasn't a fool, he knew that no one man should have been held in that high of regard.  Yet, and yet.

Shaking his head, Felix glanced about himself, almost for the first time.  The acrid smell of burnt metal and chemicals stung his nose.  He was near the damaged section of the ship.  Now that he was listening, he heard Maintenence crews in the distance working through the night shift.

A quick peek at the wall markers revealed his exact location.  Frowning, Felix continued on his original course.  He came around the bend and stopped.  For some reason, seeing the lab door actually shocked him.

Cautiously, he approached the hatch.  By the time his fingers settled on the handle, he felt foolish.  A quick turn of the wheel dispelled the last lingering touches of apprehension.

The lights were dimmed in the lab, apparently Dr. Baltar had been gone for hours.  Felix liked it this way, preferred it in fact.  There was nothing against the man, he just seemed to require a certain level of confidence in his lab mates.  

Frankly, Felix was in no mood to put on such airs.  Besides, he wasn't certain he could keep from behaving like a child around him.

Closing the hatch, Felix looked over the machines.  The scanners were all in standby mode, waiting for their chance to complete their purpose.  He was all too well aware of that feeling.  Well, here he was, now living his chance to be a real officer on a BattleStar.

He expected Mavius Richen to pop up with his cameras and ask 'is it everything you dreamed it would be?'  The answer was yes.  

Thankfully, he pretty much knew what to expect from his position from the day one.  Years of reading the texts on the first war had prepared him.  Then again, he was never really prepared for the sheer devastation.

No one was.

Felix needed something to take his mind off his troubles.  A little work would help with that.  Nothing that might compromise his results, but some grunt work.  He started to search for a broom when he noticed an indicator light on the reactor control panel.  It was the status light.  A sample was done.

His test sample.  Felix snorted.  In all the goings on, he had forgotten he had started the reactor to see if it worked.  Putting on a pair of surgical gloves, he walked up to the emersion chamber.  A quick twist of the bolt unlocked the hood.  He raised the hood to check the chamber.

Sitting there in the center was his sample.  It looked perfectly innocent and made him smile.  A careful raising of the clamps and he had the plate free.  Felix closed the hood and shut the machine down completely.

He really should wait until he was ready, but Felix was curious to see if the Doctor's genius held up.  The stress had made him crack, it was hard to say how it would effect the man's ability.  So, he carried the plate over to the high spectrum light analyzer.

A bottle of the contrast dye was by the spectral bombardment case.  He removed the top of the glass slide and applied some of the dye with the dropper.  That done, he returned the slide over the top of the plate.  After he gave the dye a chance to take hold, he secured the plate in the casing and locked the machine down.

Moving around the bench, he activated the lab's computer.  A few small commands and the high spectrum light analyzer activated.  As it began to hum, Felix realized he was done.  All he had to do now was wait for the results of the testing and then he would know if Baltar's machine worked.

That could take a few minutes, so he started to look around for the broom again.  He found it in the far corner next to an unused floor lamp.  The thing had languished there for the past two weeks no doubt.  With a sigh, he walked over and picked it up.

The lab could use a thorough cleaning, he realized.  Hell, it had been filthy when they had moved in all that equipment.  Best to get a handle on it now before it became a hazard.

The computer chirped at him.

Frowning, Felix turned to face it.  "That was quick."  Which was surprising considering the length of time it took the blasted process up to that point.  Smiling, he walked over so he could see the screen.

The broom fell from his fingers.  It hit the deck, but Felix didn't hear it.  His chest constricted as the breath left his body, making his heart hurt.

Staring back at him from the screen were the results.  Every panel that flashed was a brilliant red.  The detector had made a match.  It had found a Cylon.

Felix Gaeta was a Cylon.  He looked down at his hands.  Turning them over, he studied them in shock.  He blinked once, then twice.

A chirp from the computer nearly made him jump, restarting his heart and lungs.  Gasping for a needed breath, Felix felt too hot in his uniform.  He tugged at the collar as he realized he was shaking his head in denial.

It wasn't true.  He wasn't a Cylon.  He wasn't a frakking machine!  Advancing on the computer, he slammed his palm down on the keyboard.  The machine screeched at the action, which only served to set him off further.

Felix drew back a fist and back handed the monitor off the lab top.  The resulting mini-explosion made him jump back and restored his faculties.  "It's a mistake."

The machine had made a mistake.  That's all there was to it.  He, Felix Gaeta, was not a machine.  Rushing to the spectral bombardment case, he quickly flipped the latches off.  He got it right after three tries.  Not caring about damaging the glass, he snatched the sample plate out of the machine.

Throwing the plate at the trash can, he watched it shatter in the metal bin.  By the time he was finished, his breathing was so hard that it hurt his ears.  He coughed a couple times to relieve the pressure.

He glanced about the lab.  The shattered monitor was a mess on the floor.  It had dragged the control tower with it when it went, which meant he had to replace that too.  The keyboard was a mess, probably half broken from his tantrum.  So much equipment he would have to fix.

Groaning, he brought his soot stained fingers to his face and covered his eyes.  He was so tired of fixing machines.  Yet, if he left it as this, there would be more questions.

Then again, he realized, probably not.  Uncovering his face, he stared at the broken computer.  It was a computer, a machine, something of which he was definitely not.  No one would blame him, well, they would be sympathetic about his tantrum.  Besides, there were others in the storage lockers.

Felix sighed.  Apparently he had found something to distract himself with.  Bending down, he picked up the broom.  The mess wasn't going to clean itself up.

He wasn't a Cylon.



TBC...........................