Moving On
By Katrina

Chapter 6

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The night temperature was dropping rapidly and promised to bring with it a cold, uncomfortable night for the two stranded warriors. The campfire flickered briefly in the cool breeze, casting shadows on the rich brown soil. An occasional fowl call could be heard echoing through the trees.

Sheba nervously rubbed her right hand along the barrel of her laser. Whatever was out there was watching them. She could feel it. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing straight up.

Sheba could remember her father telling her numerous times to always trust your instincts; they would never let you down when it counted. And right now, every instinct was screaming for her to be on guard.

Ever since that ominous sounding laughter rippled through the air, she had been unable to shake the feeling of dread that had come over her. It was like somehow she knew there was something dangerous out there and they needed to be very cautious.

Sheba still had her back pressed against Boomer's. They had stayed in that position after eating their emergency rations, each scouring the perimeter with anxious eyes, looking for any sign to tell them what was out there.

"Sheba, we need to finish the perimeter lampions before it gets any darker. Think you can keep watch while I take care of them?" Boomer spoke quietly as he turned around to face her, his brown eyes reflecting the disquiet he was still feeling.

"Sure no problem, Boomer. I need to stretch my legs anyway," Sheba tried to keep the apprehension she was feeling out of her voice as she stood up and started to stretch her arms out in front of her.

"Yell if you see anything," Boomer called after her, his attention already focused on the unfinished lampions at his side.

"Oh don't worry, I was planning on it!" Sheba looked back as she grabbed her small utility light before setting out.

As she started patrolling the perimeter of their camp, Sheba kept a sharp eye out for any movement among the dense underbrush and tall narrow trees along the edge of camp, her laser at the ready in her right hand. Pausing momentarily to look up into the darkened sky, Sheba couldn't help but notice the way the stars twinkled back at her as they made their appearance that night, the planet's small irregular shaped moon casting pale shadows on the ground. If she had been on any other planet, she would have appreciated their beauty, but not here, not under these circumstances.

Sheba circled back again, kicking a small round stone in her path, when she thought she heard a tiny scraping sound coming from a group of dark bushes, unlit by the pale light of the moon. Stopping and aiming both her laser and small utility light at the area in question, Sheba waited, breath caught in her throat. Suddenly a small field rodent scurried out from underneath some loose grass. Letting out a nervous laugh in relief, Sheba shook her head briefly at the offending rodent, glad that that was all it was.

"Boomer, this place is making me jumpy. I just about fried a field rodent!" Sheba yelled as she ran a shaky hand through her long hair.

"Yeah well, this place isn't doing anything for my nerves either. Come over here a centon and hold this end. I need to tie it off," Boomer called back, looking up from the lampion pole in question, his eyes glancing around quickly.

Sheba looked around once again before walking over to the large round, half-rotten log they had been using as a bench. Sitting down beside Boomer, Sheba studied the crude lampions that he was finishing putting together. "You really think those things are going to work?"

"Have a little faith, will ya," Boomer replied, a smile in his brown eyes, as he showed her where to hold the loose strings.

"I do have faith. I just don't see how those are going to burn longer than..." Sheba suddenly broke off speaking as overhead the unmistakable sound of several viper engines roared though the night air.

"Oh my God, Boomer, they found us!" Sheba jumped up with Boomer, each hugging the other as they realized that soon they would be off this strange, unsettling planet.

"Come on, they're landing. Let's meet them and get the hades out of here!" Boomer grabbed Sheba's hand and they ran to meet the landing vipers.

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As soon as Apollo's viper was down on the surface of the planet, he hit the canopy release lever. Before it could open completely, he climbed out and jumped to the ground to meet Sheba and Boomer.

"Apollo!" Sheba couldn't keep the relief she felt out of her voice as she ran toward him.

Catching Sheba, Apollo quickly enveloped her in his strong arms, holding on tightly. Closing his green eyes filled with tears of relief, Apollo rested his head along side hers as he just held her for a centon, reassuring himself that she was okay. After saying a brief prayer of thanks to the lords for her safety, Apollo looked up to see Boomer standing there, a smile on his face. Letting Sheba go, he reached out his hand to Boomer in gratitude that they were safe.

"Boomer, you both had us pretty scared," Apollo replied, the relief in his voice, as he put his arm around Sheba's waist.

"Boomer! Sheba! What happened to the two of you?" Starbuck hollered as he, Athena and Bojay quickly ran to join the group.

As soon as Bojay could, he quickly pulled Sheba into a hug. The relief that he felt at seeing her safe and sound draining away all the pent up tension he had been feeling since Boomer and Sheba's disappearance.

"Sheba, what happened out here?" Bojay asked as he let her go, his eyes full of questions.

"Two dead engines, to start with," Boomer replied over Bojay's own questions of what happened, as he returned the hug Athena gave him.

Interrupting, Athena inquired, "What do you mean two dead engines? That's impossible!" Athena's blue eyes reflected her bewilderment as she stood back beside Bojay.

"What do you mean to start with?" Starbuck injected, frowning not only at Boomer's response, but also at Bojay as he casually draped his arm across Athena's shoulders.

"Impossible or not, both of our turbo engines have malfunctioned. Hades, we were lucky to get one of the distress signals to work!" Boomer started shaking his head in disgust.

Apollo's apprehension returned at that explanation as his arm tightened around Sheba's waist. "Both of your engines malfunctioned at the same time?"

"Yes, about the time we were flying over some old ruins not far from here. We were investigating a possible deposit of tylium, when they just lost all power. We had to set down immediately." Boomer still didn't believe that it was a coincidence.

Sheba began to feel an odd sensation of eyes boring into the back of her head. She quickly turned knocking Apollo's arm off her waist, hoping to see what was watching them.

Apollo noticed the concern on Sheba's face and in her wide brown eyes, concern that matched his own. "Sheba, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I...I don't know, Apollo. I felt as if someone was watching us. Hades, I've felt like this since that strange haunting laughter rang through the air earlier." Sheba again scanned the area with her eyes, hoping to figure out what was scaring her, but she found nothing.

"Strange haunting laughter? Sheba, are you sure about that? We only picked up two human lifeform readings as we landed," Starbuck questioned as he ran a hand though his blond hair. 'How can you hear laughter on an uninhabited planet,' Starbuck thought skeptically.

"I heard it too, Bucko. It sent chills up my spine before it subsided," Boomer quickly interrupted before Sheba could utter the sharp retort already forming on her lips.

"Look, I'm sorry I doubted you, but it just sounds so ... strange," Starbuck looked apologetically at Sheba.

"Don't worry about it, Starbuck. If our positions had been reversed, I'd probably think you were hearing things too," Sheba smiled good-naturedly.

Athena listened as Boomer and Sheba recounted everything that had happened since they found this strange planet. She also watched Apollo grow paler by the centon, as he would stop them to ask a question or two. Something was definitely wrong here.

Glancing at Starbuck as he stood with his hands on his lean hips, a frown on his handsome face, Athena couldn't help but feel reassured thathe was close by as she unconsciously moved closer to him. Ever since Boomer and Sheba started describing what had been happening she had been feeling unsettled and just wanted to leave this planet and head back to the Galactica.

"I don't like the sound of this one bit. While I'm sure the magnetic field being generated here may be the cause of your engine problems, I don't want to wait around to find out. Let's break the camp you've set up and head back to the Galactica. Boomer, you can ride with Athena and Sheba will ride with me. We'll take new scanner readings on that possible tylium deposit as we leave and let the Commander decided if we should bring a full team back." Apollo voice was full of authority as he spoke, but everyone heard the trace of unease in it as well.

The group went back to the campsite that Boomer and Sheba had set up.

Quickly dousing the campfire with dirt, Boomer made sure that it was out completely. Using their hand held utility lights, Apollo, Sheba and Bojay packed up all the supplies while Starbuck and Athena retrieved the two helms from Boomer and Sheba's vipers. All the while, they worked in silence, each having misgivings about the planet they had landed on.

The sooner they left the dust from this planet behind, the better.

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A shadowy figure watched the group from one of the top branches of a tall forest tree. He couldn't help but smirk at their belief that they could just leave this planet without his permission. Oh, no. If they thought he was going to let them leave now, after everything he went through to get them here, they were sadly mistaken.

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Helping Athena up into the jumpseat of her viper, Boomer quickly followed her into the front seat. "Are you sure you don't mind if I fly this thing back?"

"Not at all Boomer. Besides, you wouldn't be comfortable in this jumpseat. Hades, I barely fit," Athena smiled at Boomer's thoughtfulness. Not many male pilots would have asked if she minded, but Boomer respected her and her abilities. Their friendship had grown strong since the fires on the Galactica over a yahren ago.

"I'm sure I could have managed," Boomer responded back as he lowered the canopy on Athena's viper.

"Everyone ready to head back to the Galactica?" Apollo signaled on the comm.

Receiving everyone's affirmative, Apollo reached and flipped three ignition switches and then pushed the three turbo buttons in order to ignite the engines on his viper. Nothing happened. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Apollo pushed the three buttons in order again. Again the engines failed to start, not even giving an indication that they were capable of firing.

"Starbuck, Boomer, Bojay, my engines are malfunctioning. I can't get them to ignite," Apollo spoke in a quiet tone; depression settling on his shoulders as he realized this nightmare was not over and probably had only just begun.

"For Sagan's sake, I'm in the same fix, Apollo," Starbuck grunted as he roughly pushed the ignition buttons again in irritation.

"Copy that here, Apollo. We're not going anywhere!" Boomer ripped off his helm as his canopy opened, throwing it in a rare display of anger.

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The campfire crackled as it slowly died down and sparks danced up into the cold night air. A gentle breeze was blowing, swirling the thin cloud of smoke off into the distance.

Boomer stood up and placed another log on the fire, staring into its depths in search of desperately needed answers, as the conversation drifted around him. He didn't understand what was going on here and wasn't all too sure he really wanted to find out. He did, however, want off of this fraking planet as soon as possible.

Glancing off to the left, he saw the six vipers that sat useless, knowing that if they didn't find a way to get them working soon, they were going to spend the rest of their lives here. Apollo had told him the Commander had ordered the fleet to slow down, but that only bought them so much time. And that time was counting down faster than he cared to think about.

He also knew that the Commander would not risk any more lives to try and find them. They would be considered lost and the fleet would be forced to move on without them.

Running a hand along the back of his neck, Boomer looked up into the clear night sky, not really seeing the stars or the pale moon that shimmered back at him. Instead he saw flashes from his past, from the long voyage and sequence of events that had brought him to his present position. Starting with the Destruction and loss of his entire family. Moving to the decision to set out and find the lost thirteenth tribe that began their journey for Earth.

When the fleet had fled the Colonies, they had used every possible ship that could fly, but still some survivors had been left behind. There simply weren't enough ships to carry everyone. Boomer had searched in vain for any surviving member of his family - his parents, his brothers and sister and Brittany and Benji - but had found none. In the end, he had to accept the fact that he was alone, except for his close ties to his best friends Apollo and Starbuck.

Boomer closed his eyes as more thoughts and images invaded his mind, thoughts about the virus that he almost died from a sectar after the Destruction. The same virus that had also spread to the majority of viper pilots aboard the Galactica. Because of it - because of him - Serina was trained as a viper pilot and shortly thereafter met her death at the hands of a Cylon on Kobol.

The guilt Boomer felt about that chain of events had weighed heavily on his shoulders for a long time. If only Jolly and he had followed standard procedure and gone through decontamination, maybe none of the other pilots would have gotten sick. And Boxey would still have his mother.

But he had learned to live with that decision.

While Boomer had his doubts about Apollo's relationship with Serina, the pain he had watched Apollo go through, along with the pain of losing his own family, had caused him to live one part of his life on the outside, looking in. He dated, but only casual acquaintances, never getting serious with anyone. He didn't want to feel that kind of pain or guilt ever again.

As Boomer's eyes opened to see Athena sitting quietly between Starbuck and Bojay, his thoughts turned to the fires aboard the Galactica that almost took both of their lives. They came close, too close as far as Boomer was concerned, to dying. But because of it, his respect for her abilities and her fighting spirit had deepened that day, as did their friendship. And he valued their friendship greatly.

Letting out a deep sigh, Boomer's mind turned to the last few days and their first real victory over the Cylons since the Destruction of the Colonies. He and Sheba led the squadrons during that attack, finally striking a blow against the Cylons. Afterwards, they had waited on the bridge for Apollo and Starbuck to make it back from the basestar. If he hadn't recognized them waggling, the Galactica would have destroyed them.

Then at the victory celebration, he had made the decision to get on with his life, to stop putting it on hold and start living again. He had asked Dietra out for evening meal, to try and see where things might go. He had been attracted to her since she permanently joined the squadrons after Kobol. Only this time, the Fates intervened and were probably laughing as they threw him another curve or detour as the case may be, in the path that was his life.

Dropping his dark-skinned hand down by his side and pushing the memories to the back of his mind, Boomer walked over to check on the lampions that were burning brightly. They were working just as he thought they would, casting enough light to see all along the perimeter of their makeshift camp. He still felt as unsettled as he did earlier, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of the person or ~thing~ that was out there.

He knew in his gut that something was watching them, waiting for the desired moment to make itself known. The only problem was; what did it want from them?

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Starbuck was sitting on the cold hard ground with his back pressed against another round log they had dragged over to the campfire from the edge of the woods, his blue eyes troubled as he watched Boomer prowl the perimeter of the camp. In all the yahrens he had known him, he had never seen his friend so rattled. 'What in the frak is going on here? Nothing makes sense,' Starbuck thought as he ran his hand through his sandy blond hair.

Getting up quickly, Starbuck started to pace, his warrior's jacket brushing against his laser as he went. The day started out with such promise, only to end with the six of them stranded on this fraking planet. It was like something was keeping them from leaving this place. But that didn't make any sense either as far as Starbuck was concerned.

Glancing over at Athena as she quietly talked with Bojay, he noticed how the pale moonlight shimmered off of her long dark hair, reminding him how he loved running his fingers through it any chance he got. Closing his eyes, he remembered numerous times he had buried his fingers in her hair, feeling its silky softness as it overflowed in his hands. He had made her promise to never cut her hair he loved it so much, loved the feel of it against his skin. If only he could feel it once again.

'Good lords of Kobol, where did those thoughts come from!' Starbuck quickly snapped open his startled blue eyes, as he ran his hand through his blond hair once again.

Dragging his gaze away from Athena, he looked over at Apollo and Sheba, their heads close together as they talked quietly. Apollo was deeply concerned over their present situation, but at least he was acting more like his old self.

Turning his head back around, he walked over toward Boomer, his hands resting lightly on his hips. Stopping just behind him, Starbuck let out a deep breath as he asked, "It'll be light soon. How far off did you say those ruins were?"

Without turning around, Boomer quietly replied, "About a few kilometrons southwest of here. I'd say about a centar or two's hike."

"Just what I love, an early morning hike to get the blood going," Starbuck rolled his eyes at the unpleasant prospect.

"Yeah, you and hikes never did get along," Boomer grinned slightly, turning to face Starbuck.

"Hey, I don't remember hiking being one of your favorites either," Starbuck replied in self-defense.

"True, but at least I don't mind them," Boomer smiled slightly, glancing back toward the campfire.

"What's really got you so unnerved?" Starbuck suddenly asked in a quiet tone, as he studied Boomer's face closely.

"What's not to be concerned about here?" Boomer's smile disappeared and he shifted his eyes uneasily away from Starbuck, trying to avoid his friend's penetrating stare.

"Not much, but something is bugging you and I want to know what it is," Starbuck pressed, not letting his friend off that easily.

"Look Starbuck, I wish I knew for sure what's bugging me, but I don't. I keep getting the feeling that something is out there watching us, waiting for ... something." Running a hand along the back of his neck, Boomer continued, "Hades, maybe I just think something's out there because I don't understand what's going on here. Or maybe it's the possibility that we're going to be stuck here on this planet for the rest of our lives if we don't get our vipers flying again soon!"

Boomer's earlier optimism fading.

"Come on Boomer," Starbuck returned, "we've faced the possibility of being separated from the fleet before and everything managed to work out okay."

"Maybe you and Apollo have faced this possibility before, but I haven't. Remember, I'm the one who normally comes and rescues you," Boomer couldn't help pointing out.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but Boomer, we're the best," Starbuck quickly brushed that point aside. "Whatever is going on here or if something is watching us, we'll figure it out and deal with it. Then we'll be on our way back to the fleet," he replied with his usual flourish.

"Starbuck! Boomer! Let's get going. The sun is starting to come up and I want to get moving," Apollo yelled over to them as he doused the fire in front of him.

Glancing at Starbuck, Boomer quickly replied, "I hope you're right," as he made his way back to the others.

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Sunlight filtered in through the thick green leaves of the tall trees within the jungle, creating a multitude of patterns on the uneven ground. Branches from various smaller trees and bushes swiped at the clothing of each warrior as they passed by. Several unidentifiable high-pitched animal noises could be heard as the group of warriors made their way to the site of the old ruins.

Sheba was starting to feel an intensive gnawing in the pit of her stomach and it wasn't from hunger. The closer they came to those ruins, the more intense the feelings of dread she had, down to her very soul. She couldn't explain it. She didn't know if she wanted to try. She hadn't felt this gut wrenching fear in a yahren, the last time being the day she thought Apollo had died.

But that had been light yahrens away from here and Count Iblis had been responsible for that. He had disappeared immediately afterwards with the mysterious ship of lights. And she hadn't seen either of them since.

No, he couldn't possibly be responsible for what was happening here. There had to be a logical explanation for why all of their vipers malfunctioned. Maybe some type of ancient technology was still operating within the ruins and all they needed to do was figure out a way to deactivate it. Possibly with a simple push of a button or turn of a dial, and everything will be fixed. Or perhaps they could figure out when the magnetic field was at its weakest point, then they could get the vipers functioning, or ... nothing. It was useless to speculate at this point, with so little information available. She would just have to wait and see what they found in and around the old ruins.

'Hopefully, we'll have some answers soon,' she thought as the frown on her face deepened.

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Athena was watching the array of emotions crossing Sheba's face and wondered what her friend was thinking about; what thoughts were making her so apprehensive. In the yahren she had known Sheba, Athena had never seen her so unsettled. She hoped that whatever was bothering her would resolve itself quickly.

Athena had to admit she wasn't feeling all that comfortable either. Any other time she would've been enjoying the break from their forced confinement aboard the fleet, her constant bridge duty left behind in favor of breathing the fresh, clean air. Enjoying the sight of all the foliage, the green grasses, the tall jungle trees, the smell of all of nature's wonders, but for some reason she couldn't. There had been too many coincidences in the past twelve centars for her to feel comfortable here. Or maybe she was feeling this way because she wasn't here by choice, but stranded until they figured out a way to get their vipers working again.

As the heat from the morning sun beat down through the tall trees, beads of perspiration ran down Athena's back, making her wish for the cold of the night once again. Resigning herself to the fact that it was only going to get worse, she quietly followed Apollo and Boomer through the humid, dense, partially shadowed jungle. Sheba was beside her with Starbuck and Bojay bringing up the rear. They had started out for the old ruins over a centar ago and should be almost on top of them.

Pulling her hair away from her neck, Athena wished she had something to secure it back with. Deciding to distract Sheba from her thoughts, she glanced hopefully at her friend, her voice wistful. "You don't have anything I could use to tie my hair back with by any chance?"

"I wish I did. Hades, it's hot already. Why couldn't we be further north of here where it's cooler?" Sheba grimaced as she too gathered her golden brown hair together at the base of her neck.

"Because then it would be too easy wouldn't it?" Athena grinned, a trace of amusement in her voice as she sidestepped a fallen tree branch.

Agreeing and glancing quickly at Apollo, Sheba whispered, "So tell me, how did you get Apollo to let you come along to look for us?" She had been dying to ask her friend this question and now was as good a time as any.

A small sly smile came over Athena's face. "I wouldn't take no for an answer and showed up with my helm under my arm." Then glancing up ahead at Apollo, she continued quietly; "I told him that I wasn't going to let him go off and get himself killed. That I had made a promise to you and myself that I wasn't going to let him go off and do something stupid. That I was going to look out for him the way I wasn't able to look out for Zac."

"Wow! You don't pull your punches. How did Apollo take that? I mean, he wasn't too happy with me the first time I brought up that particular subject."

"Well, at first he was angry, but he did eventually listen to what I had to say and in the end, he let me keep my promises. Of course, he had to extract one of his own," Athena replied ruefully.

"What promise was that?" Sheba raised an eyebrow in question.

"That if we ran into trouble and he told me to high tail it back to the Galactica, that I would do so without question," Athena just had to smile at the irony of the situation. If only she could head back to the Galactica now.

Sheba had to laugh. That was Apollo. He just never gave up or in, even if he lost an argument, he just had to get the last word in edgewise. "Well, regardless of the situation, I'm glad that you're here. Maybe between the six of us, we'll figure out a way off this planet," Sheba's voice held a trace of amusement as she reached over and squeezed her friend's hand, feeling a little better.

Athena smiled as she returned the gesture, glad that Sheba wasn't looking so troubled anymore. They continued walking in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Athena glanced briefly over her shoulder, glad to see Starbuck close behind. Personally, she was glad that Starbuck was here. If anyone could figure out a way off this planet, he and Apollo could.

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Starbuck was frustrated. And not only because of their current situation. Of all the people in the fleet, why did Athena have to get involved with Bojay? All night cycle, he had watched as Bojay and Athena shared smiles and occasionally hold hands. He was no good for her; would eventually hurt her. Starbuck knew this for a fact. Athena was the type of girl you brought home to meet your mother, but Bojay? He was a charmer, a 'wine and dine her before taking off for greenerpastures' type of guy. Just because he had decided it was time to grow up, didn't mean he was going to.

Starbuck knew Bojay. He was too much like himself. He gambled, smoked fumarellos; a womanizer who had probably dated a fourth of the women on the Galactica and was a pilot, not as good a pilot as himself, but good enough. And now he had set his sights on Athena. He had to think of something to curtail the relationship. If Bojay thought he was going to allow him to hurt Athena, he had another thing coming. Although, if Athena found out he was interfering in her life again, she was going to kick his astrum good. Well, tough! He was not about to let her get hurt. 'A quick, quiet warning to Bojay, and that will be that,'Starbuck thought as a satisfied smile crept across his face and into his blue eyes.

Motioning for Bojay to fall back a ways behind the women, Starbuck tried to get down to business. "Ah Bojay, I was wondering ... I mean, I couldn't help noticing that you've been spending some time with Athena..."

Interrupting, Bojay stood with hands resting lightly on his lean hips, suspicion in his voice, "Starbuck, what exactly is it that you'regetting at?"

Frowning, Starbuck continued, "I noticed that you seem to have taken an interest in Athena and I want to know what you're up to."

With his lips tightening slightly, Bojay cautiously replied, "Not that it's any of your business, but yes, I'm definitely interested in Athena. But what's it to you? You broke up with her sectars ago and you have Cassie."

Stemming the anger that was quickly building up, Starbuck pointed his index finger at Bojay, nearly poking the other warrior in the chest. "Well pal, it is my business. I care about Athena and I'm not about to let you hurt her!"

Pushing Starbuck away angrily, Bojay tried to keep his voice from attracting the attention of the others, "I'm not going to hurt her, Starbuck! I really like her and I'm hoping to build a serious relationship with her. Besides, if anyone's hurt her, it was you from what I hear. You asked her to get sealed; she asked you for time and by the next day, you're in the launch tube with Cassie! Heck, you even double dated them once if the rumors are true. What is it Starbuck,things getting a little too serious with Cassie that you have to start caring for Athena again?"

Shocked, Starbuck stood stock-still for several microns, before lashing out against Bojay in anger and quietly spat, "You don't know what you're talking about! Cassie has nothing to do with this! In the end, Athena called it off with me, but that's beside the point. She is still a part of my family and I care about her. I always will. I'm warning you right now, you hurt her and you'll have to deal with me!"

Leaving Bojay standing there, Starbuck stomped off to catch up to the others. He couldn't believe Bojay had the nerve to tell him that he had hurt Athena. Running his hand through his hair, he tried to calm down before someone noticed he was upset. Okay, yes technically, he had hurt her, but not on purpose and not because he didn't care. He cared, cared deeply. Maybe too deeply, he thought sometimes. And just because it was over with Athena, didn't mean he couldn't still care about her, want her to be happy.

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Apollo had a very uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, a gnawing sensation that was slowly tightening, threatening to squeeze the very life out of him. It had been growing steadily since they had set out this morning. Actually, it had been growing in intensity since the micron he had realized Sheba and Boomer were missing. Last night, for a brief time, he had been able to block out those feelings of dread, of down right fear, but not any longer. It felt like it was trying to overtake him, to overwhelm him, as he approached the clearing that lead to the old ruins.

With his left hand hovering above the laser in his holster, Apollo stepped out into the full sunlight of the clearing, Boomer and the others right behind him. Straight-ahead was a courtyard that led to a weathered, stone temple. It stood straight and tall, as it reached for the heavens. It had to be several millennia old, if it was a day.

Entering the courtyard, Apollo glanced around, taking note of the different garden areas within the courtyard, each with a doorway that appeared to lead to a different part of the temple.

A stone staircase led up to the open main entrance of the temple, matching columns flanked the doorway. Stopping at the base of the stairs, Apollo glanced behind him, feeling as if someone was watching his every footstep. Taking his laser from its holster, he noticed that Boomer had done the same.

"Let's take a look around out here first, before we go inside. Starbuck, Athena, Bojay, start to the right and Boomer, Sheba and I will start to the left. I've got a funny feeling about this place," Apollo absently rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the knots of tension that had settled there.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Boomer murmured as he started over toward one of the individual gardens that contained a one metron long stone bench which rested in front of a reflecting pool. Behind and to the right, on the wall of the temple, a bronze door rose 5 metrons high.

Stopping in front of the bench, Boomer glanced into the reflecting pool. For a split micron, the face staring back at him was not his own, but that of a young boy. Rubbing his eyes with his hand, he looked again into the pool. This time his own reflection stared back at him. 'Hades hole, what is going on with me? I must be over tired. I'm starting to see things that couldn't possibly be,' Boomer thought as he rubbed his eyes once again. Letting out a deep breath, he walked over to the bronze door, studying the many different symbols engraved on it.

Sheba had walked over to another of the gardens. Stopping beside a clear gazing ball, which rested within the mouths of three stone amphibians, the sunlight sparkled in the direction of its companion door. "This is amazing! Apollo, how old do you think this temple and the gardens are?" Sheba glanced around for Apollo, the awe she was feeling evident in her excited voice.

"Probably several millennia old," Apollo walked over to stand in front of her, admiring the craftsmanship of the stone amphibians. As much as he wanted to stay and study the temple and surrounding areas, he knew that they had to get to the bottom of whatever was interfering with their vipers and soon.

"Starbuck, anything over on that side of the courtyard," Apollo called, as he turned in search of Starbuck, Bojay and Athena. They were exploring another of the garden areas, this one with a giant X and O game board with nine spaces, the size of a triad court, ending at another 5 metron high bronze door.

"Nothing that screams out," Starbuck replied absently as he studied in detail the markings on another bronze door.

Athena was only vaguely listening to the conversation going on around her. She was fascinated with the game board. She immediately recognized the game. It was one she had learned as a child. The object of the game was to try and get three X's or three O's in a row before you're opponent accomplished the same feat. She loved playing the game with Apollo and Zac as a child. Actually, she and Omega where known to still play the game in the Officer's Club from time to time.

"Hey Athena, how about a game?" Bojay whispered in her ear as he smiled gently down at her.

"Isn't this garden wonderful!" she replied, her blue eyes sparkling.

"Not as wonderful as you," Bojay replied, not taking his eyes off of her upturned face.

Starbuck's fascination with the huge door quickly faded as he noticed how close Athena and Bojay were at that moment. Frowning, he called over to them. "Athena, Bojay, come look at the markings on this door. Do you recognize any of them?"

"Coming Starbuck," Athena quickly responded, not sure if she was ready to take Bojay up on the unspoken message she had read in his eyes.

"Apollo, the markings on this door are extraordinary! They look a little like the ones found on the temples in the deserts of Scorpia," Athena called out excitedly, when she stood in front of the huge door.

"This whole place is extraordinary and very unnerving. Is the door locked or can it be opened?" Apollo started over for the door closest to him, Sheba following close behind.

As soon as everyone was in front of one of the huge bronze doors, an energy field emanated from each door, capturing its prey within its grasp, holding them confined within the beam.

An amused, ominous laugh echoed throughout the air as everyone searched frantically around with his or her eyes for the source of that laughter. As the ground trembled beneath their feet,and the wind increased in intensity, Apollo grabbed Sheba close to him, trying to protect her as best he could, as the source of that laughter appeared in front of them.

Count Iblis.

End of Chapter 6
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