Gaius Baltar (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nomoremrnicegaius) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
edge_of_forever2012-04-11 10:27 am
nomoremrnicegaius) wrote in edge_of_forever2012-04-11 10:27 am
Blood Work [Open]
Gaius Baltar is standing in the science labs of the third floor of the Prosperina, eye pressed against the eyepiece lens. This felt so familiar to Gaius; in a way, it was almost disconcerting. What was that phrase that Six liked to use? 'All this has happened before, and all this will happen again', was it? It certainly seemed to be the case now. Mostly, anyway. Instead of being surrounded by thousands of blood samples all in need of testing for Cylon pathogens, he was surrounded by four in need of just simple investigation.
One from him, one from Julien, one from someone he hadn't yet had the opportunity to meet, and one from the Commander.
Only one woman aboard the station had deigned to pay a visit to the science labs, and it had to be her of all people. What Gaius wanted was someone young and pretty like the girls he slept with on Caprica. Someone who would think he was all charm and intelligence. Someone who thought he was utterly irresistible.
And the Commander it seemed, had developed an immunity to his charms. In fact, she didn't seem to like him at all. And that alone Gaius couldn't stand; he didn't like the thought of anyone disliking him. Even Shepard.
"Cubit for your thoughts, Gaius." Gaius jerks up quite suddenly to find Six sitting there on the countertop next to him. She's quite lovely, in that red dress that he really loved. The one that seemed to hug every inch of her body, leaving very little to the imagination.
"When did you get here?" he asks her, though it comes out as more of a demand than a question.
"Just a second ago." Six smiles. "Are you going to answer my question?"
Gaius runs a hand over his sweatshirt, smoothing out the wrinkles. He'd feel more comfortable in a suit -- or if that weren't possible, a lab coat would probably do. But unfortunately, the ship had not seen it fit to outfit them appropriately.
Or at least not him. The rest of the space station's denizens could feel just at home in this kind of clothing, for all he knew.
"I was thinking about women," he says, finally. "The only one I've seen since I've cooped myself up in this lab is Shepard and frankly, she left a great deal to be desired." He peers through the eyepiece again and frowns down at a sample of her bloodwork. It sits on a microscope slide, bound to the stage with a set of stage clips.
Six pushes herself out the counter and steps towards him. She leans over him, breasts pressed against his back. Gaius briefly recalls the last time the two of them fooled around in a science lab, and remembers Kara Thrace walking in right in the middle of it.
Any desire he might have felt was killed with that very thought.
"Learn anything new about women by examining their blood?" she asks, her lips so close to his ear that she can feel the warmth of her breath there on his lobe.
"Abnormalities," he answers, somehow managing to squelch his newly-resurrected desire, however barely. "But I've seen a lot of abnormalities from the samples I've taken thusfar. I'll need more samples before I can draw any definitive conclusions."
He's both thankful and remorseful when Six decides to pull away a second later. "Well, then," she says. "I'll leave you to your work."
And in a blink of an eye, Six is gone again, leaving Gaius standing there, wishing very much that he was in some other place -- some private place, rather -- alone and with Six.
One from him, one from Julien, one from someone he hadn't yet had the opportunity to meet, and one from the Commander.
Only one woman aboard the station had deigned to pay a visit to the science labs, and it had to be her of all people. What Gaius wanted was someone young and pretty like the girls he slept with on Caprica. Someone who would think he was all charm and intelligence. Someone who thought he was utterly irresistible.
And the Commander it seemed, had developed an immunity to his charms. In fact, she didn't seem to like him at all. And that alone Gaius couldn't stand; he didn't like the thought of anyone disliking him. Even Shepard.
"Cubit for your thoughts, Gaius." Gaius jerks up quite suddenly to find Six sitting there on the countertop next to him. She's quite lovely, in that red dress that he really loved. The one that seemed to hug every inch of her body, leaving very little to the imagination.
"When did you get here?" he asks her, though it comes out as more of a demand than a question.
"Just a second ago." Six smiles. "Are you going to answer my question?"
Gaius runs a hand over his sweatshirt, smoothing out the wrinkles. He'd feel more comfortable in a suit -- or if that weren't possible, a lab coat would probably do. But unfortunately, the ship had not seen it fit to outfit them appropriately.
Or at least not him. The rest of the space station's denizens could feel just at home in this kind of clothing, for all he knew.
"I was thinking about women," he says, finally. "The only one I've seen since I've cooped myself up in this lab is Shepard and frankly, she left a great deal to be desired." He peers through the eyepiece again and frowns down at a sample of her bloodwork. It sits on a microscope slide, bound to the stage with a set of stage clips.
Six pushes herself out the counter and steps towards him. She leans over him, breasts pressed against his back. Gaius briefly recalls the last time the two of them fooled around in a science lab, and remembers Kara Thrace walking in right in the middle of it.
Any desire he might have felt was killed with that very thought.
"Learn anything new about women by examining their blood?" she asks, her lips so close to his ear that she can feel the warmth of her breath there on his lobe.
"Abnormalities," he answers, somehow managing to squelch his newly-resurrected desire, however barely. "But I've seen a lot of abnormalities from the samples I've taken thusfar. I'll need more samples before I can draw any definitive conclusions."
He's both thankful and remorseful when Six decides to pull away a second later. "Well, then," she says. "I'll leave you to your work."
And in a blink of an eye, Six is gone again, leaving Gaius standing there, wishing very much that he was in some other place -- some private place, rather -- alone and with Six.
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"What kind of doctor are you, exactly?"
He may be in the lab, he may say the right words, but that doesn't mean a whole lot in her experience.
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But it's difficult for him to acknowledge those similarities now now that she's opened her mouth and completely ruined the illusion. Now, she reminds him of Roslin. Always doubting him when all he wanted was her trust and understanding and sympathy and words of praise.
And maybe that's what has him so angry. Or maybe it was his anger at Six, whose eyes were twinkling with amusement at his suffering. Her arms were folded over her chest in the same way Zoe's were. Whatever the reason, he can't seem to stop the flow of words from pouring out of him, all anger and defense.
"I have doctorates in the Biological, Computer, and Astronomical sciences from the University of Caprica. Before the age of 30, I was awarded three Magnate Prizes for my work in the Field of Information Technology. "
He inhales here and there is a moment there where he could consciously choose to stop himself and not suffer a complete meltdown in front of this beautiful and perhaps at times completely charming lady, but he chooses not to seize that opportunity. He's too angry now, and he finds some measure of pleasure in allowing her to play body double to Laura Roslin and saying everything he wanted to say to her.
"Unfortunately, the Powers that Be did not see it fit that I be transported here with all three degrees or the three Magnate Prizes," he says, words thick with sarcasm. "I would not have any of those things, anyway as I fled the smoldering ashes of Caprica to Galactica with barely the clothes on my back." He spits the words out, one after another, all vitriol and anger.
"No one doubted what I was capable of when I found myself aboard the Battlestar Galactica, even though I lacked the appropriate documentation to prove it. I was made science advisor almost immediately and assigned to head a project where I took and studied blood samples in order to identify any cylon infiltrators in the fleet, which I did -- and did well, I might add. I single-handedly identified the containers holding the unrefined tylium precursor on an attack on a cylon-occupied base holding fuel we needed to escape their fleet. I cured the then-President's cancer, all while holding the position of Vice-President of the Colonies. And you have the audacity to question my ability to perform the duties I've selflessly volunteered to undertake while we're stranded here?"
Then silence. Gaius turns around, closes his eyes, and inhales -- all in an attempt to qualm whatever anger he still has simmering beneath the surface of his skin.
It's at that very moment -- at the worst possible moment for the both of them -- that Six begins to clap slowly. One clap, and then another, and another. And it's all Gaius can do not to completely snap at the both of them.
"I'm sorry. That was," he says in low tones. He presses a hand against his forehead and there's a moment of silence there, when he mentally fumbles for the appropriate words. "...very unkind of me," he finishes.
He swallows, then forces himself to turn around and face her again. "Maybe you should go."
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All that he sounds like to her, as he tosses around his credentials is a man who never had anyone's approval at face value. Always had to work for it. It's just interesting that before she let a man poke a hole in her and take her blood, she asked a question that apparently sent him spiraling.
"I'm sure you're as selfless as you say you are. But let's make one thing clear here, doc." She stares right at him, not intimidated by his little breakdown. "I don't know you. And I don't know what kind of past you have where people don't have the...what did you call it? Audacity to be sure that when someone has a needle in their hand pointed at you, he ain't just some random stranger they never met before. Don't know what a cylon is and don't care much to."
She turns to go. "Thanks for makin' this place safer, Doc." And with that, she disappears to go find Wash. Tell him not to give the crazy man on level three any of his blood.
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