Agent Fox Mulder (i_want_2) wrote in multi_fiction, @ 2009-04-15 19:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | galactica, rated: adult, slash |
Fic: Pathways: Radiance And Stimuli 4/5 BattleStar Galactica 2003
Title: Pathways: Radiance And Stimuli.
Author: Lopaka Tanu
Disclaimer: I do not own BattleStar Galactica.
Characters: Gaeta, Jammer, Tyrol, Calley, Starbuck, Baltar, Adama, Tigh.
Words: 4872
Prompt: Gaeta discovers he is a Cylon.
Fandom: BattleStar Galactica 2003
Timeline: Fragged/Resistance
Pairing: Gaeta/Jammer
Rating: Adult
Warnings: Language, Violence
Summary: The inevitable finally happens to Lieutenant Felix Gaeta.
Author's Note: Three Months Later.
____________________________________
The smell of ozone and old blood still lingered in the CIC. Much to his dismay, Felix found himself adapting to it. There was nothing so horrible as to realize that carnage and death have become common place. At least, he hoped that was it.
His hands shook as he removed the last of the wires from the DRADIS console. It was from a hated task, one he took relish in undoing. They never should have networked the various systems. He would be weeks cleaning the bugs from their systems.
Still, it had been necessary. The Colonel had been right about that at least.
He began to curl up the wire around his hand. When it was joined with the others, they would go back on a spool in the storage locker two corridors down. Felix had no doubt it would be needed before their journey came to an end.
After that was done, he handed the coiled wire off to a Petty Officer. The man would ensure that the spool was wound properly. At least someone could be relied upon to do their job.
Closing his eyes, Felix took a deep breath to compose himself. The last twelve hours had been a frakking night mare. He paused, then looked up at the jump clock.
It had only been twelve hours.
Twelve hours since the world had gone insane. Twelve hours since the Raptors had jumped to Kobol. Twelve hours since Boomer had revealed herself a Cylon by shooting the old man. Twelve hours since he had last heard from...
Fists clenched, he turned back to his task of fixing the DRADIS. At this point, that was his top priority. The FTL was fine, the Engineering teams could handle the oversight. Every other computer, including navigation had to wait!
Picking up the pliers from his own tool kit, he knelt down to examine the control panel. Where he had soldered the wires for the superacomputer to the processor would have to be repaired. He began by pulling out the old connectors one by one.
The entire processor would have to be reattached to the mother board. Luckily, this one was a cinch to do given his recent experience. Once he had pried off the connectors, he used a small grasp to pull out the processor.
"How long until we are back up to full battle readiness, Lieutenant?" Tigh's raspy voice seemed to come from right behind Felix.
Luckily, he was ready for a distraction and wasn't startled. "That depends upon the condition of the consoles. If I have to replace too many, their built in programming will have to be wiped and reinstalled." Felix examined the bottom of the processor. At least it was still intact. "Pending inspection, I estimate two days."
"Two days? That's too frakking long!" Tigh's fist hit the back of the DRADIS console. "I want it done in one day, I don't care if you have to spend all night at it."
"That is not possible, sir." Felix grit his teeth as he picked up his soldering goggles. Strapping them on, he grabbed the chip and a soldering gun. "There are too many systems that have been compromised. I will have to go over them all myself."
"Why can't you get some of these grunts to help you out?" By the sound of his voice, Tigh was looking about the CIC as he spoke.
"I am, sir. But it is my job to ensure the computers are running. If something fails, it will be my fault." The strain of his jaw muscles forced him to unclench it. Gaeta stretched them out to keep them from cramping.
There was nothing from the Colonel for several minutes. Then, the sound of his shoes echoing off the deck as he walked away was all to be heard.
Relief coursed through him, giving him a momentary pause. He used the respite to wipe the sweat from his face with the back of his sleeve. Halfway through, he stopped. He slowly pulled his arm from his face to look at the stained sleeve.
Closing his eyes, he forced himself to finish. That done, he opened them again and went back to soldering. He would be hours at this way, but that was okay. At least this way he wouldn't be thinking about anything but his work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There were Centurions aboard. Word had come through and the pursuit was being led by Captain Apollo. Add to that the fleet was apparently gearing up for a full scale mutiny and it was no wonder the Colonel was biting off heads.
Felix liked his very much, so he kept his nose in his work. There were only half as many damaged systems as he had believed. Most of that which needed to be worked on was due to the networking. A few minor repairs to the circuitry was fixing it.
So, instead of the two days he had quoted the Colonel, it was just another ten hours of work. Twenty-two hours in the CIC, he knew he could do that standing on his frazzled head. That was if he didn't forget which end was up.
Unfortunately, there was no other option. Someone had to get that damned job done, and most of the crew were working on other parts of the ship. That is, when they could get their heads out of their asses. The Commander was in the infirmary, he got that. That was no need to get all doe eyed and lost though.
Felix seriously hated when the Cylons attacked. This was the worst he had ever seen it, even with the fall of the colonies and the subsequent jump tag with them. Every major and minor system had a problem some where.
With a curl of smoke, he finished soldering the Navigational Control Core back together. It was the one piece of equipment actually damaged by the attack. But, since it had been linked with the rest of the command, it had almost fried every major frakking system on the ship.
Growling, he slammed the console shut. A quick turn of the lock had it sealed in to place. There was no way in hell this thing was coming apart again barring the total destruction of the ship.
With a groan, he used the console to haul his worn out ass to standing. Felix yawned as he powered up the console. On the screen, Navigation automatically updated its programming along with the new parts he had put in. The drive would take about ten minutes orienting itself before it would be ready to use.
Satisfied it was done, he picked up his tools. He staggered to the next open console, which happened to be the linear processing unit of the FTL drive. Once there, he bent down to examine it. There were minor patches from someone having done a quick job to keep it working.
Felix tore those out along with the fused mother boards. A quick flick removed the connecting wires. It would have to be completely replaced. He tried to stand so he could get the extras, but his legs refused to budge.
Frowning, Felix looked down at them. There was no damage, his legs were functioning at proper settings. Reaching behind him, he traced his fingers up his spine. There was no damage there either. He could sense them, there was pain, but it was well within tolerable limits.
So why weren't they working?
It had to be a short in the neural relay paths. That would require a bypass at the effected junctures. The necessary tools to fix such a malfunction were not available. Patching it was out of the question. Therefore the malfunction had to be ignored, relegated to irrelevance.
Sighing, he glanced above the console to locate someone. There were people about, but they were all busy. Everyone was busy. He was on his own.
Closing his eyes, he focused on his legs. Slowly, he felt them start to move. A cramp had started in his left leg, but he ignored it. The muscle had to work, it had no other choice. With a growl, he shot up off the deck.
The sudden rise disoriented him and he had to clutch at the FTL controls to keep his balance. While his body tensed from the pain, Felix did a sweep of the CIC to locate the locker of spare mother boards. Whomever had used it last left it by the communications console.
He had to walk over there and get the one he needed. Felix sighed.
Gaeta tried to make his left leg move, but the muscles refused to flex. Looking down at it, he stared for several moments. Through his uniform, he could make out the tense muscles. He couldn't feel them, but they were apparently cramping.
A malfunction, apparently not so minor.
He didn't have the right tools, but he some. They would have to do. Reaching down, he grabbed the front of his uniform. The belt was first, he made quick work of the button and zipper after. Pushing down his pants, he reached back to feel his thigh.
The muscle was so tense the entire thing felt solid. There was not a good place to check. He would have to go in at the joint.
"What in the frak do you think you're doing?" Colonel Tigh's angry voice caused several people to fall silent.
Felix ignored him. There was a malfunction that was impeding his performance. It had to be corrected or he would stop being of use. Looking over his tool kit on the controls, he found the wire slicer. Picking it up, he tested the weight to see if it would work.
"My gods, he's flipped!"
Felix registered the voice as Crewman Barran, a second tier monitor of the FTL output. His duty was to monitor spikes in the FTL's quantum shift. He was irrelevant.
The malfunction had to be corrected. Felix raised his hand to prepare the first incision. A strong grip on his wrist prevented him from completing the stroke. He looked up and frowned at the person interfering with his duty. "Is there a problem, Colonel?"
With wide eyes, Tigh forced Gaeta to hand him the blade. "Do you know what you were about to do, Lieutenant?"
"There is a malfunction in the neural relay. It must be bypassed before the entire cluster fails." He cocked his head to the side to stare at the man.
The Colonel's stunned expression went to complete shock. Almost as suddenly, he was angry. "You're starting to sounds like a gods damned machine. You're a frakking human!"
"The human body is a machine." Gaeta realized it was the wrong thing to say when he heard a few gasps around them. Sighing, he straightened his posture. "I have work to finish. If you would kindly let me get back to it, I can have the FTL drive back up and running in ten minutes."
"No. You're done." Taking the pliers from Felix's other hand, Tigh slammed them down in to the tool box. After slamming it closed, he looked to a marine guard. "Get him to a bunk, now. Once Cottle's through patching up the old man, tell him to examine this one." He threw a thumb over his shoulder at Gaeta.
Felix thought of protesting, but realized it was futile. The Colonel was on a war path and any argument would be counter productive. As the guard came up to him, he allowed the man to take him by the arm and escort him out of the CIC.
That was fine, he would come back and finish it in a few hours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So I hear you decided to take off your own leg." Sucking on the end of his cigar, Cottle smiled at the the man laying on the bunk. "Care to tell me why?"
Eyes clenched shut, Felix grimaced. "Not really, but some how I get the feeling I don't have a choice." He was just so tired, even after fifteen hours of sleep. It was taking more effort than it should have not to yawn.
"Oh, you do." He took out his cigar to exhale through his nose. "Just not the one you think."
"Let me guess. If I don't say, I automatically get taken off duty. Even if I do speak, there is no guarantee I get to go back to work." Opening his eyes, Felix turned his head to look for confirmation. The sick feeling in his gut wouldn't let him do anything else.
"Exactly. Got it in one. That says good things about your current state of mind. However, I'm not certain about that wanting to get back to it so soon." There was a hint of amusement in Cottle's voice. He clearly thought the whole situation was nothing to go to pieces over. "Why is that?"
"Someone has to do it. I'm the best we have." And that was the source of his problems. Gaeta closed his eyes and shook his head. There was no one else who could do it all and do it right. "I can handle it most days. Then there are others, like yesterday, when I get so exhausted, so lost that I forget what I am."
"Sounds like a few other people I've been talking to." The comment was made almost at an inaudible level. Taking a deep puff from his cigar, Cottle frowned. "Have you noticed any other self destructive behavior? Felt an almost overwhelming need to harm someone who didn't truly deserve it?"
Taking a moment, Felix scanned his memory. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come up with a single person who didn't deserve his wrath. Surprised, he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. "No. Just working myself to death."
"I see." For a moment, Cottle said nothing. He just continued to watch Felix as he lay there. Then, he cocked his head to the side and shrugged. "Can you tell me some of the things that make you angry at other people?"
"Incompetence. Laziness. The failure to do one's job due to lack of attention and poor preparation." That was easy. In fact, it made Gaeta smile. "Poor manners. Insensitivity. Wanton acts of destruction. Injustice. Bullys. Criminal acts against a Just leader!"
"All right, all right. I get the picture." Cottle heaved a great sigh. Rising from the bench he was sitting on, he dusted off his hands. "I'm clearing you for partial duty. Aside from some control issues, too much stress and not enough sleep seems to be your major malfunction. For the latter, I'm prescribing a few sedatives. You are to take them without hesitation and no back sassing. I hear you skip even one dose and I'm pulling your ass off duty for a week."
Gaeta sighed with relief. Closing his eyes, he smiled at the ceiling. "Thank you, Doctor."
"Don't thank me, I'm the one sending ya back." Now chomping on his cigar, Cottle headed for the hatch. He stopped just as it started to open. "Oh, there's some yutz out here waiting to jump your bones. Make sure you keep the horse play to a minimum."
That made Felix frown. Who would be out there wanting to jump his bones?
Cottle barely had time to slip out before he was shoved aside. "Hey! Watch it!"
"Sorry!" Jammer's tone clearly stated that he wasn't. Rushing in to the barracks, he hesitated only long enough to locate Felix before going to his side.
Once there, though, the urgency fell out, leaving only a nervous hesitance. Jammer dropped down kneel next to the bunk the older man was laid out on. Once there, his eager anticipation quickly turned to apprehension.
Having watched this, Felix saw the change come over the other man. He wanted to tell him all was well, wanted to reassure him that everything was all right. Yet, for some reason, his vocal chords were paralyzed. Reaching out a shaky hand, he held it up for Jammer to take.
Swallowing, Jammer took a quick breath. "Felix." He took Gaeta's hand between his own. Bringing it to his cheek, he closed his eyes.
"James." Unable to say more, Felix slipped his fingers free. He curled the along Jammer's cheek. Almost reluctant at first, he slowly slid them up to cup the other's face. When he didn't disappear, Felix gasped.
Jammer pressed his cheek in to Gaeta's hand, nuzzling against his palm. His own hands slid down the other's arm. "I missed you so much."
"They said..." Felix couldn't finish. The tears he had been fighting since he had first seen Jammer suddenly welled up. "Are you really here?"
"Yeah." Nodding, Jammer tried to keep his face in Felix's grasp. "I think so."
"Please, stay with me." Where this neediness was coming from, Felix could only hazard a guess. Whatever the source, it was making him feel out of sorts and he wasn't sure he liked that. "I just need to make sure you're real. There's so much that's frakked up, I need to know that some thing's still here."
"I didn't intend on going any where." Rising up only enough that he could climb in to the bunk, Jammer grasped the edge of Gaeta's blanket. He stilled to look for permission.
Without hesitation this time, Felix clasped his hand around Jammer's on the blanket. Together, he guided it up so that the other man had room to climb inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was staring at the bottom of the bunk above them. Felix never liked the color scheme of the crew barracks. It was all too monochrome and pedestrian. It could have used a few more colors in his opinion.
Jammer snored softly in his ear. The man was exhausted and smelled of days without bathing. They both did.
Not that Felix cared. He couldn't have been happier than to just lay in the bunk with the man forever. They hadn't done much beyond cuddling, but it had been enough. Touching was the important part in bonding. A very human thing.
Turning so he could see Jammer's sleeping face, Felix reached up and traced his index finger over the other man's nose. This disturbed him enough to cause him to snort. Gaeta leaned forward and placed a kiss to his lips.
The heat coming off Jammer's body was intense enough to warm up the cold barracks. He sweated in his sleep when he was stressed. The sheets beneath him were starting to become wet. Gaeta knew from experience this would last about a week before he settled down again.
Rolling over, he checked the clock. It was only a matter of time before the rest of the bunks started to fill up. This was his normal barracks and his fellow CIC officers' shift was about up. He knew he should get some sleep while he could.
Slipping out from under the blankets, he was careful not to disturb the other man. His uniform was in the locker at the foot of his bed. Taking it out, he pulled on only the pants. The shirt was one of Jammer's, it had some how ended up in his clothes come back from the laundry.
Closing his locker, he checked himself to make sure the buttons were all done up. That complete, he stalked off barefoot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The deck was cool under his feet as he wandered up the corridor. The lights were still out in many sections. He plodded past a maintenance crew without so much as a second look. They were busy, he didn't need to bother them.
It was late in the second duty shift. There were few people awake, let alone out walking the halls. Martial Law kind of made it hard for anyone who wasn't in the military to feel safe. He would have to have a talk with the Colonel about that.
Felix knew that the best time to do that was when the man was sober or really stinking drunk. Only then was he halfway reasonable. The latter was more likely to happen, though.
Rounding another corridor, he came upon a new section of walls where there should have been a large junction. A couple of guards were standing watch over the hatch. Their hands went to their guns as he drew near.
Staring at them, Felix tried to remember if he knew their names. The marines were the ones he rarely had the chance to interact with. Since they hardly ever came in to the CIC, there was not a good reason to try. Failing to recognize them, he merely nodded at them.
They didn't try to stop him as he walked up to the hatch. He peered through the view port and saw sparks. They were welding inside, building a cage from the looks of things. Felix remembered something about a prison for the Cylon, Colonel Tigh had been going on about it.
Apparently it hadn't just been an idle threat. Good for him!
Smiling, Felix turned and walked in the direction he had come. Without shoes, his presence went unnoticed as he came around a juncture. Here was where the crowd had gathered. Civilian and crewman alike, they were camped out like groupies.
What they were holding vigil over was another new section. It was hastily put together and had six guards protecting the hatch.
Felix walked through the crowd. His passing caused a small stir of notice, but nothing more. As he came near to the guards, he watched them raise their weapons slightly. For a moment, he considered reacting, but decided it would only make them nervous. So, he smiled pleasantly instead.
"What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" It was a guard he had seen before, but did not know.
Taking a step closer, Gaeta looked from him to the others. "I came to see the prisoner. There are some questions I need answered."
Apparently the leader, the guard shook his head. "Sorry, that's not going to be possible. Dr. Baltar is already in there."
The smile fell from Felix's face. "I want to see the prisoner." He took on a more commanding tone. "Now, sargent."
"I'm sorry, sir, but Dr. Baltar..." He silenced himself and straightened his back. Shaking his head, the man held tight to his gun. "I cannot allow that to happen, sir."
Gaeta's fingers drummed along his thigh. For a moment, he considered just snapping the man's neck. A hint of his intentions must have translated through his body language as the entire row suddenly went in to a prepared stance. He smiled again, and cocked his head to the side. "I'll remember this, Sargent."
Threat made, he nodded at them. He gave the hatch one last look, then turned around. The Eight would still be there tomorrow, he could deal with her then. There was a warm bed waiting for him right now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Soft lips tickled the back of his neck, waking him from a pleasant dream. Snickering, Felix cringed back from the touch. The hands around his chest and waist held him in place and from moving any further. He could feel Jammer's hardon against the back of his thigh. "Good morning to you too."
"Morning." Kissing Gaeta's neck, Jammer continued all the way to his ear. "Did you sleep well?"
"The best. I don't know what I'm going to do when you go back to your own bunk." He heaved a sigh, more fake than real. "Do you think the Chief would mind if I shackled you to my bunk?"
This made Jammer chuckle. "I will ask him when I see him." Holding Felix against his body, he slowly ran his cock up the other man's thigh. "What say we take our boxers off and I show you how glad I am to wake up next to you?"
"Not this morning, I'm tired." As if to emphasize his point, Felix was suddenly over taken by a major yawn. He moaned as he finished. The hand over his chest reached up to pinch his nipple. "Hey!"
"What? It's my hand, it has a mind of its own." Sliding said hand down Gaeta's body, he slipped it under the hem of the other's boxers. Letting his fingers rest over Gaeta's erection, he moaned in pleasure. "You like my idea?"
"Yes, but I'm still tired." Despite his words, Felix thrust in to Jammer's hand. He stopped himself from making a complete slut of himself only just barely. Stilling, he reached down to pull Jammer's hand out of his underwear. "Not this morning."
"Tomorrow morning, then." Jammer pressed another kiss to Gaeta's neck. "If you hadn't gone out for a walk so late last night, you might have had the strength to fool around this morning."
Gaeta froze. Eyes a little wide, he stared at nothing in particular. "What did you say?"
"I said you should have stayed in bed last night." Smacking Gaeta on the ass, Jammer snickered. "I woke up and you were gone. Care to tell me where you went?"
"Just for a walk. Had to clear my head." Face twisted in a false smile, Gaeta prayed Jammer didn't hear the tremor in his voice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't need an escort." Despite his words, Jammer didn't release the hold he had on Felix's hand. The smile on his face erased any other resistance he had to the idea.
Sighing, Gaeta squeezed their laced fingers. He didn't care who saw them holding hands. It was his perogative to let the world know that he loved James Lymon. While this drew a few looks, it barely seemed to register with most people.
There were a lot smiles, none of them friendly though.
Felix wasn't sure how to feel about that, but didn't let their moods bring him down. Walking with Jammer around the final bend before they reached the Hangar Deck entrance, he tugged the other man closer.
Jammer bumped in to Gaeta's side. Snickering, he used their hands to smack Gaeta in the gut. "Stop it, you're going to make people think I'm drunk."
"And that would be different how?" His laughter echoed down the corridor, drawing a few looks. Gaeta wasn't sure why he was so giddy today. The air in the ship just seemed lighter, as if the windows had been opened and the sunshine let in.
Shaking his head, Jammer continued on. They turned to walk through the entrance to the hangar. The noise hit them like a sonic wall, dampening Jammer's joy. A quick look at Felix brought it back to full strength.
Gaeta smiled at his lover. "Looks like you're here." He sighed when he realized it was true. His uniform jacket suddenly felt constricting. Frowning, he reached up to tug the other man in to an embrace.
It was returned with even greater enthusiasm. When he released Gaeta, Jammer pulled back all the way. His face was a little red, but he was smiling. "I'll see you this afternoon."
"Of course you will." Reaching up, Gaeta brushed the backs of his fingers over Jammer's cheek. When he pulled back, he stood up straight. The smile slipped from his face and he was once again Lieutenant Gaeta, officer of the Colonial Military. "See you this afternoon, Specialist Lymon."
Jammer gave him a mock salute. Spinning on heel, he turned and marched away.
Watching the other man leave, Gaeta found his eyes drifting across the deck. He wasn't sure what had drawn his attention until he found several guards standing around a Raptor. Curious, he made his way over.
The guard who spotted him first stood at attention. Gaeta waved him at ease and came around the nose of the bird. He found whom they were guarding on his back under the jacked up Raptor.
Covered in sweat with his shirt riding up, Tyrol angrily twisted a ratchet. He did this twice more until the bolt was tightened in to place. Finished, he slid out from under the Raptor. He froze once his eyes cleared the landing rail of the ship so he could see who was standing there. "Lieutenant. What can I do for you?"
Seeing the other man's expression made something in Felix's head click on for a moment. For just a brief second, he saw something else, someone else laying there. Then it was gone leaving only a brief impression. He instantly knew the right words to say. "It wasn't your fault, Chief."
Tyrol frowned. For a moment, he looked like was about to say something in angry retort. It quickly passed. Closing his eyes, he nodded. "Thanks, Gaeta."
Giving him a sad smile, Felix nodded. He started to turn and head off to his duty shift until he heard Tyrol clear his throat. Looking back down, he raised an eyebrow in question.
"You two are good together." Sitting up, Tyrol dusted off the back of his head. "I mean that."
Smiling, Gaeta nodded. This time, he turned and walked away. It was a peaceful and wonderful day. He couldn't really say why, he just knew a source of great stress had been removed from the ship. Life was beautiful!
TBC.........................